


Serpents and Ponytails

by Aud_Diane



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), bughead - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Murder Mystery, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-02-23 23:13:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13200621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aud_Diane/pseuds/Aud_Diane
Summary: Jughead transfers from the southside in the middle of the mystery surrounding Jason Blossum. Betty makes the decision to trust the newest gang leader in helping her solve the case. Now, not only does she have to solve a murder, Betty must navigate the life that comes with falling in love with a snake.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank for taking a look. First, I have the characters in their senior year. I'm not a big fan of writing mature themes for characters that are super young. Also, they all know Jughead from their childhood, but he is finally back. Let me know what you think of the Intro!

To an outsider, Riverdale was that perfect American town. Betty could see it; everyone could. It had the white picket fences and a diner that served the world’s best milkshakes and onion rings. The high school football team was filled with boys who had amazing jawlines and the cheerleaders were all cute and preppy. Some kids wore secondhand clothes and taped glasses while others got new sports cars for their sixteenth birthdays. Children ran up and down the sidewalks, while half-watching mothers gossiped with their matching coffee cups.

Betty Cooper fit in with her pastel sweaters and perfectly combed hair. Her friends did as well; Archie with his letterman jacket and Veronica with her designer handbags and perfect eyebrows. They were the perfect pieces to the small little puzzle that was their town.

That, of course, was just all on the outside. It ignored Riverdale’s sins; the teacher that liked to sleep with her students, the Cooper sister that snapped and was sent away to God knows where, and the murder of Jason Blossum. Everyday more secrets were overturned and Betty’s perfectly normal high school life grew fuzzier by the hour.

“There has to be something I’m missing,” she complained loudly, her words echoing in the near-empty student lounge. “I just keep hitting dead ends.”

“C’mon B, did you really expect Jason’s murderer to be that obvious?” Veronica flipped through a magazine as she spoke, legs stretched out across Kevin’s lap. “I mean, you’re a real Nancy Drew and all, but the police don’t even have a clue. No offense Kev.”

“None taken,” he answered dryly.

“She’s got a point,” Archie commented from beside her. Betty gave him a pointed look, but he continued. “I know how much you enjoy playing detective, but its not your job. You should be focusing on the River Vixens and graduation. Not some dead-end case.”

“ _Your_ main concern might be high school right now, Archie, and that’s fine but that doesn’t mean its mine,” she retorted. “And I don’t _enjoy_ solving some poor kid’s murder, but its needs to be done. Its my responsibility to find out what happened.”

“Sure thing, Betty.” He playfully rolled his eyes and she couldn’t help her small grin. Despite the fact none of her friends had any interest in helping her, she still loved them. “Think you can give up on your case one night for dinner at Pop’s? We’re all going.”

“Of course she is,” Veronica grinned. “We all know Betty can’t deny a vanilla milkshake.”

“Bribery. Nice.” Betty raised a brow, standing to gather her books and bag. The first bell was bound to ring any moment and she couldn’t stand being late to class. “It worked though. I’ll see you at Pop’s.”

Archie left with her, keeping close to her side as they maneuvered the crowded hallway to their lockers. From somewhere, Reggie could be heard yelling at some poor girl and a skateboard raced past them. Posters for upcoming winter break hung above them, a reminder that their final year was growing shorter.

“Hey, you’re really keeping with this case, aren’t you?”

Betty paused, watching him carefully before she spoke. “Yes, Archie. I can’t just forget it all.”

He leaned in closer. “I know it matters a lot to you, but don’t you think it’s a bit much? Its all you’ve been focusing on this semester.”

“You’ve been focusing on music this semester.”

“That’s different.” Archie gave a look over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking. “You realize you’re trying to solve a _murder_ , right? Say you do it. What’s your plan then? All you’re doing is putting a target on your back, Betty.”

“Aw, Archie.” She gave him a fake sad smile that he rolled his eyes to. Patting his cheek, she tried to soothe her best friend. “You're being really sweet, but you don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll be careful, okay?”

“You’re doing it all alone, though.”

There it was. The magic statement that had been looming in her head ever since she started her ‘murder board’ in the office of the Blue and Gold. Despite that a teenager had lost his life and hardly anyone of importance seemed to care, Betty had been fighting hard to find the truth. Archie had been her best friend her entire life and, now with Veronica included, he still was. However, no one cared enough to help her. She hadn’t been bitter though. Archie was focused on perfecting his music while Veronica was still distraught over father being in prison, but it still left a feeling that her friends often forgot about her.

“Yeah, I am.”

There was a noise from down the hallway, or rather a lack of, that made the both of them turn. Betty couldn’t see what had made her peers grow silent or Archie’s jaw to drop, but it didn’t take her long to figure it out.

“Oh my God. What day is it? I thought this was happening next week-.”

“What?” she asked, peering around him. “What’s happening?”

“Your head has really been in the clouds, Betty. Southside High closed. Today is transfer day.”

“ _What_!” she repeated, pushing Archie aside to follow everyone’s gaze. Southside High was known for the crimes and drugs that radiated from the students that went there. Two younger generation of gangs ruled the area; the Ghoulies and the infamous Southside Serpents. The northside kids liked to gossip about the dangerous serpents and tried to catch glimpses of the leather jackets. More personal to Betty and Archie, they knew who had recently been the talk of the gossip, who was rumored to be the youngest leader of the gang in history…

And there they were; the cause of the hushed voice and wide eyes. Several new students walked through the hallway, shoulders tight, and heads tall as they ignored the looks surrounding them. Perhaps the most notable one was a girl; short with vibrant hair, but looked as though she could take out half the football team. The guys were the same; rugged, hard eyes, and mouths hard. It was the one in front that Betty caught herself gawking at. The boy with black hair that fell onto his forehead from underneath a worn beanie. The boy she hadn’t seen in four years since he was forced to transfer to the southside in middle school. The boy that wore a deep black, leather jacket that donned a green serpent on the back.

“Oh, Archie,” she whispered. “It’s Jughead.”

“I know.”

Seeing him hurt. Not horribly, but enough that she couldn’t ignore the small twinge of guilt that twisted in her stomach. He didn’t look at her as they passed and she wondered if he would even recognize them. Then, like he could hear her thoughts, his gaze went to Archie’s and realization crossed his features. Jughead stopped, as did the others, but he quickly looked behind them.

“Go on. I’ll be there in a minute.” Betty thought they would argue. She couldn’t imagine anyone telling the short girl what to do, but surprisingly they did what he said. “Archie Andrews. Long time no see.”

“Yeah, hey man.” Betty didn’t miss the change of octave in her friends voice, but said nothing. Jughead still hadn’t noticed her. Of course, he had always been better friends with Archie. “Its good to see you.”

Jughead dug his hands into his pockets, the sarcastic smirk etched on his face that she could never forget. “Is it though? That’s funny considering you never wanted anything to do with me once I went to the southside.”

“Yeah-uh, about that-.”

“Save it. Whatever you have to say, its four years too late.” It was then he saw her, eyes drifting down to where she stood beside Archie. She was suddenly painfully aware of how dorky she must have looked; pastel blue sweater with a pink mini-shirt and matching sneakers. It looked ridiculous in comparison to the leather on his shoulders. He didn’t say anything to her. The smirk melted away and was replaced with hard eyes. “See ya around, _pal_.”

And then he disappeared into the crowd, the green serpent staring at her the entire way.

***

“And then Jughead Jones basically threatens our Archiekins-.”

“He didn’t _threaten_ me,” Archie groaned, slamming his locker shut. “It was just a misunderstanding. Now can we drop this please? I have to get to practice.”

Veronica ignored him, looping an arm around Betty’s. “I can’t believe you aren’t completely shook right now girl. We had some of those _snakes_ in my history class today and they were absolutely awful. I can’t imagine having their ring leader actually talking to me.”

“It wasn’t like that.” The trio marched down the hallway as she continued. “He used to be our friend. Ages ago. He stopped talking to us when he moved, though. Guess now we know why.”

“I don’t care _who_ he was,” Veronica drawled. “I don’t like sharing a school with reptiles.”

It was then they parted ways. Archie leaving for the football field while Veronica sauntered off to the gym for Vixen practice. Betty was skipping, and would no doubt get hell from Cheryl for it later, but the case was too important. The other day, she’d hit a complete block and couldn’t find anything else. Everything had been gone over; every file, every film, and every statement. She was sure there was another clue somewhere. It was only a matter of time before she found it.

Looking forward to having a few hours alone to really focus, Betty marched into the Blue and Gold office before gasping and practically falling back against the door. The room wasn’t empty. Perched on one of the empty desks, was none other than Jughead Jones.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped, clutching her chest. Her board of twine, pictures, and articles were on the wall in front of him. “You can’t look at that.”

“Betty Cooper,” he announced, tilting his head towards her. “The one and only.”

“You can’t be in here. This is _my_ office.” She stalked across the room and tried to move the board, so he couldn’t see it. “Out, Jughead.”

“And she remembers my name.” Hopping from the desk, he moved beside her, admiring the board she was trying so hard to move. It wouldn’t budge. “Someone’s been busy.”

Betty huffed, dropping her arms in defeat. He gave her another stupid smirk. God, he was starting to annoy her. Her hands curled into fists and she could feel the familiar burn in her skin. “I said out.”

“Geez, not even a hello? At least Archie pretended to be happy to see me.”

“You were mean to him,” she retorted, glaring. His look of amusement didn’t change. “You would have gotten a hello if you hadn’t been a jerk.”

“Right. Calling him out on his shit was being a jerk, but ignoring your best friend is perfectly fine. You haven’t changed. You always have Archie’s back.”

“We didn’t ignore you. You stopped talking to Archie. You know that really hurt him?” She could remember what it had been like when Jughead was no longer a part of their daily lives. He was no longer in the background devouring an entire bag of chips or cheering Archie on in one of the video games. Her best friend had moped, moped for weeks, when the crowned-beanie disappeared. “We didn’t care that you moved to the southside, but you could have at least called him back.”

“I would have a talk with your best friend.” He took a step closer to her. Betty held her ground, staring at him as he towered over her. “Because I don’t think he’s been telling you the truth. And by the way, I don’t have to leave this office. We’re partners now, Cooper. Nice murder board.”

He shoved something at her. A crumpled piece of paper. Snatching it from him, Betty quickly scanned the transfer letter from Principal Weatherbee. _Several well written articles from his past classes…transferring credit from the Red and Black…Please welcome him with open arms, Miss Cooper…_

When she looked up, he was gone.

 

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working Jughead and Betty back up to a friendship before shenanigans ensue!

Betty had done her best to focus during her hours of solitude. She hadn’t gotten a single bit of work done, however. Jughead’s words were etched into her mind. Archie wouldn’t lie to her. The situation was simple. Jughead had moved, found a bunch of new snake buddies, and didn’t want to talk to his northside friends anymore.  If anything else had happened, Archie would have told her. Wouldn’t he?

“Hello, earth to Betty!”

Kevin’s hand waved in front of her face and she snapped back to reality, looking apologetically to the others in the booth. Pop’s was busy, as it usually was in the evenings. Half the high school seemed to be seated and draped over the booths and even more were hanging around in the parking lot. Betty leaned forward to take her milkshake straw between her teeth.

“Are you even listening to Archie?” Kevin continued, eyes widening. “He’s trying to tell us about his newest song. It's about all of us.”

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about-.”

“Yeah, the case. We know.” Archie finished for her sharply.

Betty paused, a new heat rising in her chest. She looked around the table, seeking some sort of back up. Veronica looked down to her food, ignoring her gaze while Kevin simply shrugged. It was evident then none of them really cared how much _she_ cared about Jason’s murder. It was an annoyance to them. An inconvenience. Angling her head towards Archie, she set her jaw.

“Actually, no. I was thinking about something Jughead mentioned to me earlier.”

That got their attention. Veronica's head snapped to her, mouth dropping, while Archie just narrowed his eyes.

“You were talking to him?”

“Yeah. We both work for Blue and Gold now. You would know that if you ever bothered to ask about the paper or what I did in the office. You know, I defended you in there today. Turns out, apparently I shouldn’t have.”

“What are you talking about, Betty?”

“You tell me, Archie,” she whispered harshly. Veronica and Kevin were staring wide-eyed. “What happened when Jughead left?”

A red tinge appeared on his cheeks. “I told you-.”

“I know. You told me he stopped talking to you, but what really happened? If you don’t tell me, I’ll just go find him and ask.”

“It wasn’t me!” he hissed back, obviously trying to keep her from making a scene. “It's not as dramatic as you’re making it sound. My dad made me stop talking to him. He said he was a bad influence. It turned out we were right! He’s a serpent, Betty.”

“Oh my God,” she groaned, humorlessly laughing into her hands. It all made sense. “You don’t think that made him a serpent! His friends all turned on him, so he had to find new ones! You told me he didn’t want to talk to me.”

“Betty, I think you might be overreacting. You guys weren’t that close from what I hear,” Veronica piped up.

“You know, I think I’m going to go,” Betty impulsively decided, jumping from the seat and throwing on her jacket. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”

They let her go. The bell rang above her as she pushed open the glass door, relishing the cool breeze that whipped across her face. The air would be good for her, allow for her to clear her head. Betty wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. Archie and the others were her closest friends. She had no right snapping at them like that. Sure, what Archie had done was crappy. _Really_ crappy. But he didn’t deserve for her to take out all of her frustration on him. She couldn’t blame them for not caring about the murder like she did.

Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she started the long walk home. Kevin had been her ride, but she had burned that connection for the night. Betty ignored the group of jocks and Reggie’s cat calls, stalking past them and towards the road. It was dark, but still early. If her mom had known she was wandering outside with a murderer on the loose, she’d never be allowed outside again.

Betty heard more cackles and turned, surprised she hadn’t noticed the other group there before. Several of the new southside students stood around a group of motorcycles, some wearing jackets and others not. She recognized a few of them, but again it was Jughead who caught her eye. He saw her too. His face wasn’t as angry as it had been earlier; the lines less hard and eyes more forgiving. Leaning against one of the bikes in the back, he didn’t move as she made her way towards them.

Then, it was like a ton of bricks slammed into her chest. One moment she was walking, the next an arm was braced against her ribcage, back slamming into the metal of an old dumpster. Betty gasped, her breath catching in her throat as her pint-sized assailant gave an unamused laugh.

“Oops, Barbie wandered onto the wrong side of the parking lot.” It was the girl with vibrant hair. Now up close, Betty could see that while still terrifying, she was gorgeous. “Get lost Blondie-.”

“Toni!” The arm disappeared. Jughead had grabbed the back of the girl’s collar and shoved her away. Betty took a deep breath, shooting a look to the girl that was glaring at her over Jughead’s arm. “Jesus Betty, what are you doing here?”

The hard jaw was back. Before she could say anything, he took her elbow, dragging her away from the others and the parking lot in general. When they were out of ear shot of the chortles and away from the wandering eyes, he let her go.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she snapped. “Isn’t Pop’s a little out of your style?”

“Burgers and fries are always my style. Now why are you pissing off girls that could kill you?”

“I didn’t realize walking in your direction was a threat. I’m not fluent on gang rules.”

“Funny,” he replied easily. “Now, c’mon. What do you want?”

“I actually came to apologize,” she huffed, growing more embarrassed as she spoke. It was hard to talk when he stared her, eyes completely focused. Usually her friends only half-listened to her, if they did at all. “I confronted Archie and uh-I had everything wrong. I’m sorry I got mad at you. He deserved what you said.”

Betty didn’t know what reaction she was expecting, but when Jughead’s lips hinted at one of his famous smirks, she found herself grinning as well.

“Apology not accepted,” he spoke sharply, “until I get to examine your murder board.”

“You can look at it on one condition,” she demanded, wagging a finger to his chest. “We are not partners. I’ve worked really hard on this all semester. You want to be a part of it, I call the shots. I’m your boss. And no serpent buddies in the office. I don’t need anyone throwing me against the walls.”

“That won’t happen again.” The smirk was gone, replaced with the Jughead she saw earlier in the halls; the new one she wasn’t familiar with. “I’ll talk to Toni later. The others too.”

“It doesn’t matter. Come to the office before school and I’ll catch you up on everything. You won’t be busy, will you?”

“No. I do all my criminal activities after dark.”

“Not funny.”

***

Betty hardly slept at all that night. A day with not only one, but three encounters with the long lost Jughead Jones was too much for her. Anticipation of having him a mere few feet away from her for hours a day kept her mind busy and sleep hard to come by. She wondered if her rule about the serpents being allowed in the Blue and Gold would be followed, or if he had been genuine in agreeing to doing what she said.

It was funny. She didn’t think the supposed leader of a gang would be so easy to get along with.

Morning came too fast. Before she knew it, Betty was scarfing down a piece of toast as she scrambled around the house for her things.

“Remember Betty,” her mom tilted her head towards, eyeing her daughter’s morning meal, laundry basket on her hip. “Carbs are not a girl’s best friend. Especially a River Vixen’s.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Betty clenched a fist; another feeling of burning skin, but quickly pushed it aside. It was no wonder the eldest Cooper daughter had gone insane. “I’ll see you later.”

Wrenching open the front door, wondering if Jughead was already waiting for her, she was surprised to see her porch wasn’t empty. Archie and Veronica stood just outside the door, Archie’s fist raised as he was about to knock. Veronica was clutching two coffees, one with a beautifully drawn _B_ on the side.

“Betty Cooper, you an absolute dream this morning,” Veronica beamed, shoving one of the coffees into Betty’s hand. “And you do not the deserve the two people that stand before you today.”

“Yeah, listen Betty,” Archie began, brows pulled together. “We were real jerks last night. You’re always there for us and we know how important this case is to you. I guess I’m just trying to say sorry. I promise, no more comments about it.”

Betty eyed them carefully, unable to stop her small grin. Jerks, yes. But jerks who apologized. She could work with that.

“More bribery,” she commented, taking a long sip of her coffee. “You are forgiven, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Archie, you need to talk to Jughead.” She knew he hadn’t been expecting that. He let out a sigh, shoulders straightening, but let Betty finish. “He was one of our best friends and he’s still that guy, even with that jacket on. _Please_.”

“Fine,” he agreed. “But only because you asked me to.”

“Good,” she smiled smugly. Wrapping an arm around Veronica to walk to school, she moved the conversation to more trivial things; such as the upcoming football game and the dullness of filing out more college essays. There was no mention of murders or gangs and the conversation was easy. The way Betty saw, if she had Jughead working with her now, she didn’t need her friends to help her anymore. She had a partner.

***

“I’m going to give you a rape whistle.”

“Veronica, no.”

“Just blow it B and I’ll come running as fast as my Michael Kors pumps will let me.”

“ _Enough_.”

“What about pepper spray?”

Betty didn’t justify the question with an answer. Instead, she stuck her tongue out at her obviously distressed friend and went into the office of the Blue and Gold. As she suspected, Jughead was already there with no other leather jackets in sight. He was in front of the board, arms crossed and staring at it with his brows furrowed. When the door clicked shut behind her, he gave her half a glance, before it had his full attention again.

"You followed my rule," she commented. "Yesterday, they slam me against a dumpster for walking towards you and today they let you alone with me. Its a miracle."

He gave her another glance. "They don't _let_ me do anything."

"Right. I forgot you're the big, bad leader now." The moment the words left her lips, she inwardly cursed.  _Stupid, Betty_. Jughead or not, he still was in a gang. Betty needed to be mindful about being careful around him. Thankfully, he evidently didn't care about her comment because he remained silent, still transfixed on the board. She threw her bag down before going to join him. “Getting yourself caught up?” 

“Trying,” he muttered. “I’m confused. Where did the gun come into play?”

“Oh, there was a gunshot that morning. Totally unrelated. It was just some scouts practicing. It took me ages to figure that out though.”

“Right. You have a Ms. Grundy as a witness. She is…?”

“Complicated,” she answered sharply. “And gone. Those notes are pointless though. They found out in the autopsy Jason died a week before they found him. Everything from that morning doesn’t matter now.”

“Sure it does.” Jughead finally looked down to her, eyes bright as he gestured to the board. “You did all this yourself?”

“Yep,” Betty answered, popping the p. “I’m stuck now and no one wanted to help me. I swear I’ve gone over every detail, but all we know is Jason was dead long before he was found and obviously that he was shot.” An easy silence settled over them. Jughead still looked at the board carefully, but Betty was looking at him. Hoping he wouldn’t notice her sideways glances, she took his distracted state to really see the changed Jughead. Gone were his graphic tees and converse; replaced with leather and black boots that were half unlaced. There was the jacket; the bold, unavoidable article of clothing that she and everyone else had trouble not staring at. His beanie was just as she remembered, except for maybe fitting a bit better now. He was noticeably taller than her too, while when they were younger she was the one towering over the boys, and his shoulders broader. He was still Jughead, though. “Did you really write at your last school?”

“Everyday,” he answered dully. There was another glance down to her and he paused at her expression. “What?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t take you as a writer.”

“C’mon, Betty. It hasn’t been _that_ long. Just because I wear a leather jacket doesn’t mean I’m a complete heathen.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she snapped, cheeks reddening. “I just didn’t know writing is something you like to do, is all.”

He was fully facing her then, blue eyes piercing hers. The smell of cigarettes wafted from him; a complete contrast to male company she usually kept. “Yeah, well you also didn’t know I joined a gang but that’s what happens when you don’t talk to someone for four years.”

“Hey now,” she argued, sharply folding her arms. His smirk was back. “I’ve already apologized for that. You can’t hold it against me anymore.”

“Whatever, Cooper. Are you going to show me your notes or not?"

For the better next part of an hour, Betty pulled out every file, every note, she had made on the case and shared it with Jughead. For the most part, he kept his sarcasm to a minimum, only asking questions about the murder. Betty wouldn’t admit it, but despite they worked in silence most of time, it was the most fun she’d had in a while. It was thrilling to share her work with someone else; someone who was actually listening. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her when she realized with the help, maybe they would finally reach the end of the mystery.

“We can’t just do murder stuff,” she explained, as they began putting everything away. The warning bell would be ringing anytime. “Football games, dances…all that too.”

“You got it boss.” He slung his bag over his shoulder, holding the door for Betty as she continued speaking.

“And fundraisers, town gossip-.”

“Look, Reggie. We’ve got ourselves a lone snake.”

Jughead stopped in front of the closed door, Betty freezing beside him. The hall was crowded now, students making their way to their first classes. With their luck, they’d managed to walk out right as the majority of the football team passed by. Figured. Of course it would be without his friends with him. Jughead knew punches would be thrown when they transferred. Honestly, he was a little surprised it had taken this long for something to start. It looked like he’d be doing this one alone.

A group of guys in jerseys, all considerably built, stood in front of him. The crowd had parted; some people stood, waiting for the epic battle between bulldog and snake, while others hurried around. Betty still hadn’t moved from his side and for a second he had the urge to throw her aside.

“Alright guys, what happens when a pack of bulldogs wander across a snake? Any guesses?”

“You’re real brave.” Surprisingly, the voice came from his side. Betty was glaring at the group in front of them, green eyes hard. Jughead almost thought the scrunch to her nose would be cute, if her teeth hadn't been bared. “You waited until it could be five on one?”

“Shut up, you little freak.”

Jughead wasn’t even sure which one said it. Honestly, it could have been any of them. All he knew was his bag was hitting the floor and a fist was clenched. From his side, he could see his friends coming to make the fight fair. In front of him, the guys moved forward, ready for whatever he had to throw-.

There was shove, and suddenly Betty’s hands were on the locker on either side of them, her ponytail directly beneath Jughead’s chin. Her feet were planted firmly in front of his as one of them, he assumed Reggie, stopped in front of her. The two seethed over her head, but Betty didn’t move.

“ _Stop.”_ Her voice ran out over the crowd. That’s all it took, the slight pause for the tempers to stop flaring and for fists to unclench. In another moment, Archie broke through, talking to the guys and moving them along. The Serpents stood by. Jughead looked at Toni and Sweet pea, both looking at him to see what they should do. He silently shook his head. Below him, Betty continued. “Get out of here, Reggie. He didn’t do anything.”

A finger was pointed Jughead’s way. “This isn’t over.”

He left and Betty’s arms slowly went back down to her sides, fists clenching. When she turned to face him, Jughead saw the pink in cheeks hadn’t gone down. “They didn’t have any right to be that way.”

“It's okay, Betty. Knew we’d get the welcome wagon at some point.”

“You belong here, Jughead. Don’t forget that. You belong back here with us.”

She disappeared into the crowd as well and Jughead felt a swell of warmth in his chest. He would be lying if he said he didn’t think about in her in his absence. Sure, he missed Archie too but Betty was just _Betty_. He had almost forgotten the way she was just unconventionally nice to everyone; how would stand up for her friends and speak her mind, much as she just did with him. Back then, she was one of his closest friends, Archie being the only contender. So many Friday nights were spent beating her at video games and ignoring her comments when she told him three burgers were too many. Watching the sway of her ponytail disappear, there was a deep ache he hadn't felt in a long time. God, he had missed her.

“Damn. Barbie threw some heat,” Toni mused, coming to stand by him and watching where Betty had gone into the crowd. The others were soon to follow. “Who is she again?”

“An old friend.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive responses everyone! Enjoy!

“Do those guys call you a freak a lot?”

Betty almost screamed. The locker room had been silent. All the vixens already departed the physically and emotionally gruesome practice. Veronica had left just as quickly with promises of a dinner date at Pop’s later on. Betty had been slower to gather her things, not particularly eager on going home to her mother’s comments and the empty space Polly left behind. Finally, there was no way she could put it off any longer and backed out of the room into the fall sunlight, when a gruff voice came from behind her.

“Sorry,” Jughead continued, watching her spin around, hand clenched into her t-shirt. “But seriously, Betty. Do they call you freak a lot?”

“What? No.” She let out a long breath of air, heart still pounding. The field behind them was filled with the practicing football team, but besides that they were alone. Again, she was graced with a gang-less Jughead. “Why are you here so late? Were you waiting for me?”

“Thought you might try to start another fight,” he answered, falling in step beside her. “Couldn’t let you take on the whole football team alone. Now, come on Betts. Why did they call you that?”

Betts. Her old nickname. Memories of the word falling from a younger Jughead’s mouth consumed her; him screaming her name from the top of his treehouse because she wasn’t climbing the ladder fast enough or when she cried because her ice cream fell on the ground and he tried to console her. It didn’t seem to fit coming from someone with a serpent on their back.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine,” she grinned, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He smirked, but didn’t say anything, so she continued. “So, were you really waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Nope. That counts as two. Now answer mine.”

“They don’t call me that all the time,” she explained, glad that were heading away from the school and eavesdropping ears. “Only when I make them mad. Usually they’re trying to get into my pants.” Jughead glowered down at her, but again remained silent. “Polly’s really sick. I don’t know if you heard, but she doesn’t live with us anymore. I guess she made up stories and went insane, according to my mom. Now, everyone thinks it runs in the family.”

“You guess? You don’t know?”

“No. My parents saw it all happen. She was sent away before I even knew anything was wrong.”

“Betty.” Their walk slowed, Jughead holding her elbow until she paused and he turned to her. From this angle, in the sun, his eyes seemed impossibly blue. Had they always been like that? Or was she just now noticing because the leather jacket didn’t hold all of her attention? His features had softened. Gone were the furrowed brows and tight mouth. Instead, he sighed, dropping his hand from her arm. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Betty started walking again and Jughead was close to follow. Talking about Polly was too much. It had been months since she saw her sister, heard her voice. Quickly, she changed the topic. “I want to ask another question.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“That’s a question.”

Betty pouted. “How else am supposed to be caught up on everything Jughead from the past four years if I’m not allowed to ask questions?”

“You don’t want to know about that. The life of Jughead is a pretty boring story,” he teased, but Betty had a sinking feeling that wasn’t the case. “Sounds like you’ve been up to a lot though. Cheerleading, solving murders…quite the full plate.”

“No, no,” she argued, swinging sound mid step to narrow her eyes at him. “You don’t get to ask me questions if I can’t do the same to you.”

“Fair enough,” he mused. “But I wasn’t asking. Just stating.”

They were growing closer to home; the trees a mixture of bright orange and yellows around them. Betty wondered what her mom would think if she walked up the front steps with a Southside Serpent by her side. That was an issue for another day, though.

“Fine. I want to _state_ some things. You can just agree or disagree.” There was no answer. Betty smiled smugly before going on. “You might be a serpent now, but you miss us.” Still no answer. “I’ll take that as a truth. Let’s see…you don’t want any questions, because you think you’ll scare me.” More silence. Another truth. “You were really mad at me, for years, but now you know it wasn’t our fault we didn’t talk.” Silence. “Your friends don’t like me, because I’m from the northside. That’s why they’re never around when I’m with you.”

“Wrong.” Betty paused, eyeing him as they walked, but he continued looking ahead. She was about to ask for an explanation, but Jughead gave it up freely. “They aren’t with me when I’m around you because I tell them not to be. We’ve got four years to make up for. We don’t need any interruptions.”

And then he smiled, giving her that dumb smirk that seemed to be tattooed on his face when he wasn’t in a brooding mood, and Betty found herself easily smiling back. Suddenly, she didn’t want him go. Being with Jughead, talking to him, was easy. She _wanted_ to tell him everything; about Polly and her crazy mom, how much her menial life drove her insane. Betty wanted to spend time with him that wasn’t completely involved with solving a murder.

“Do you want to go to Pop’s later?” she asked, before even thinking it through. “My other friends will be there. Archie too. It might be…good. Don’t you think?”

When he didn’t reply right away, she thought he was going to tell her no. Instead she was pleasantly surprised. “You sure you don’t want a bunch of southsiders hanging around your booth?”

“I know I want you there,” she confessed. It almost looked as if he was blushing. “Your friends too. If they want to come.”

They had reached her house. Thankfully, her parents were evidently gone. There would be no one to witness who walked her home. Betty stood awkwardly on the front path, unsure of what to say in goodbye.

“Sure,” he finally answered. “We’ll be there.”

Betty beamed and started to turn, but not before pausing and looking back him quizzically. “Wait? How are you getting home?”

“My bike is at the school. I’m going back to get it.”

“You walked me home, just to walk all the way back?”

“Told you, Betts.” He was walking away now, calling the words over his shoulder. “Thought you might get into a fight. Couldn’t let you do it alone.”

***

The neon lights outside of Pop’s set their booth in a hue of greens and blues. They’d been there awhile; she, Veronica, Archie, and Kevin. Glasses of milkshakes and baskets of fries scattered the table. Talk of the upcoming football game and discussing dress styles for the fall dance were the bulk of the conversation. Kevin discussed a hot guy he’d seen while out jogging and Veronica gushed about Archie’s newest song. It wasn’t until there a small pause of silence that Betty broke her news.

“So,” she began, innocently dipping a fry into her milkshake. “I might have invited Jughead to meet us here tonight.”

“Jesus, Betty,” Archie sighed running a hand through his hair, but Betty was quicker.

“And before anyone says anything, remember you _promised_ you’d talk to him.” Veronica huffed at her, but was still smiling in a ‘I hate this, but I love you’ way. “He’s been really nice to me. And V and Kev, I think you two would really like him.”

“If our friendship with Jughead is what your little Cooper heart desires,” Veronica sighed dramatically. Betty laughed, but rolled her eyes. “Then your wish is our command. Oh look, he brought the whole herd of snakes. Pod? Flock? I’m not up on reptile terms.”

Sure enough, Betty turned just in time to see Jughead, followed by three others in the leather jackets, enter Pop’s. A few heads turned their way, but otherwise they were ignored. It only took a second for his eyes to land on hers and for his smile to tease on the edge of his lips. Sauntering through the small crowd, he came to tower of their table. The three following him ignored them for the most part, taking the booth beside them.

“Jughead,” she smiled, noticing his own was becoming strained at the eyes on him. “This is Veronica Lodge. She just moved here. And Kevin Keller. He’s-.”

“The sheriff’s son,” Jughead finished, reaching out grasping Kevin’s hand. “You know, I’ve met your dad a few times. He’s not fan of the snake tattoos.”

“Doesn’t bother me,” Kevin swallowed thickly.

“Hey Jughead.” It came from Archie, across the table from Betty. Jughead’s smile fell, looking down to his former best friend. Veronica caught Betty’s eyes and both girls watched the pair silently. “Mind if we talk for a minute?”

Jughead looked to Betty, eyes unreadable, before glancing back. “Sure.” Together they walked away to the far end of the diner, sitting at an empty booth. Betty didn’t miss that his serpent friends were watching carefully.

“Well, no punches are being thrown,” Veronica muttered, watching over Betty’s shoulder. “Surely, that’s good news.” Her attention was back on the blonde, leaning over the table with a mischievous grin. Kevin caught on and leaned in to hear. “So, what really brought this on B?”

“What?”

“C’mon,” Veronica took another glance over her shoulder, her smile widening. “You want all your friends to approve of your newest crush? I mean, I was skeptical at first, but I gotta hand it to you Betts. The guy can rock the leather.”

“It’s not like that,” Betty blushed. “We’re still stuck on the case. I just thought hanging out at Pop’s might be a nice scenery change.”

“Betty, please,” Kevin hissed. “If you don’t start riding that, I will.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered, suppressing her grin. Veronica winked at her. “You two are horrible.”

“I’m just saying if you felt the need to crawl in a serpent’s bed, you won’t get any judgement from me.”

“V!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop,” Veronica giggled. “Tell me more about your case, then.”

It was an attempt to make up for their lack of caring before. Betty didn’t mind though. It was nice. “I don’t know. All the facts so far don’t lead anywhere. He was shot, but way before he was found, but after July 4th. Cheryl said he was running away, but from what? There’s literally nothing else. Just a brick wall that all the questions lead to. If there was just someone who knew something, _anything_ , else we might be able to connect the dots.”

“Dead men tell no tales,” Kevin mumbled.

“No,” Betty agreed, shaking her head. “They don’t. Cheryl was the last person to see him and she’s already given us everything she knows. July fourth will forever mock my Nancy Drew skills.”

“Fourth of July is a bitch.”

It was as though she’d been slapped. The realization hit her first, dropping her jaw and making her mind go numb. Could it be? There was no possible way it was a coincidence. Then, the embarrassment flooded her. How had she not seen it before? It had been right in front of her the whole time.

“Betty?”

Veronica's question went unnoticed. Betty flew from the table, striding across the diner in easy steps. She approached the table the boys were at just in time to hear Jughead mumbled, in an embarrassed guy sort of way, “Can we just do the douche bag thing where we just nod and everything is okay?”

Archie laughed, but Betty skidded to a stop in front of them. Jughead had been smiling, but when he looked up at her his brows furrowed, mouth going into a hard line.

“Jughead,” she gasped. “I need your help.”

***

“I am such an _idiot_.” Betty paced in the parking lot Pop’s, ignoring the looks Jughead’s friends were giving. As for Jughead, he was watching her carefully from his spot leaning against his bike. “It was right there, Jughead! Polly got sent away on the morning of July fourth.  Jason tried to disappear on July fourth. They’re both connected. My mom said it was a fight with Jason that broke Polly. What if that’s why he was running away? To get away from her?”

 “You really think the guy would fake his own death to avoid an ex-girlfriend?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, pausing in front of him. “I have to talk to her, but I don’t even know where she is.”

“Is there anyway you can find out? Maybe from your dad or-?”

“Jones!” The voice came from the girl, the same one that shoved her against a dumpster. For the most part, the serpents had been quietly ignoring them; always a step behind Jughead, but minding their own business. Now they were all watching him, Toni nodding towards the empty street. “We've been here long enough. We’ve got stuff to finish tonight.”

“I know,” he answered, using the gruff voice Betty only heard him use on other people. It was the voice of the other Jughead. He shot a look over his shoulder. “Give me a minute.”

“You can finish playing Scooby Doo later. If we don’t finish this deal-.”

“Toni-.” It was practically a growl. Betty grabbed his arm before he could turn.

“Hey, it's fine. Go do whatever you have to. I can handle this.” She wasn’t going to ask what it was. Betty was pretty confident she didn’t _want_ to know. “I promise.”

He looked like he was going argue. Instead, he reached behind her, ripping her phone from her back pocket and began typing furiously. “You call me if you need anything.”

“I’m sure I could find you,” she teased, snatching her phone back. “It's not like the southside is hard to find.”

“You _call_ me,” he repeated, taking another step forward. He was much too close now. She could practically feel the heat coming from underneath his jacket. “I’m serious, Betts. You don’t go looking for me there. You call. I’ll come.”

“Like a bat signal,” she tried to joke, her breathing uneven. She fought the urge to touch him; to trace the hard line of his jaw with her fingertips; to press her lips against the strained muscles of his neck. Betty settled for standing there, surely looking like an idiot while he towered over her.

“Snake signal,” he corrected. The serpents all made to leave, jumping on their bikes and heading towards the end of the parking lot. Betty watched, practically ogling him, as Jughead did the same. Before he revved the bike, he looked to her again. “ _Call_.”

And then, like the serpent he was, Jughead roared away with his gang behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is hella huge compared to the ones before. I just couldn't find a good stopping point! Who knows, maybe I'll make them all this long. Also, in case anyone is interested, here is the link to my tumblr page.  
> https://auddy-95.tumblr.com/  
> Enjoy!

It had taken Betty an eternity to break away from her friends’ questions. Archie had admitted he and Jughead talked it through. It wasn’t like the old days. They weren’t suddenly best friends, but for now, the anger and resentment each one had was put aside. Betty had silently wondered if each guy had done it for her, but didn’t voice her suspicions out loud. Veronica and Kevin, on the other hand, spied on them through the slanted blinds of Pop’s, like any good friends would. Veronica was confused why Betty hadn’t hopped onto the back of his bike with him, while Kevin loudly wondered what he would like without the jacket on. It wasn’t until Betty’s curfew was dangerously close that she arrived home, beelining for the kitchen in the hopes her parents were home.

The image before her was ironically normal; a lie of how perfect their family was. Her dad, crisp sweater and khakis in place read the paper at the counter while her mom with a new manicure and perfectly matching lipstick whisked together some form of baked good was sickening to look at. Still, Betty plastered on an innocent look, before going to join them.

“Betty, sweetie,” her mom crisply greeted, smiling widely. “Cutting it a bit close tonight, aren’t we?”

“I wasn’t late.”

“No, but you almost were. Next time, maybe plan a bit more carefully, alright?”

“Alice, leave her alone,” her dad snapped, without even looking up from his paper. “You can’t scold her for being on time.”

The air was heavy in the room, like it always was when her parents were within ten feet of each other. Betty had good practicing at ignoring it.

“School was good today,” she commented lightly. “Practice went really well, too. I think we’re ready for the game next Friday.”

“That’s great, honey,” her mom beamed. “Make sure you’re putting your all into it. It is the last one of the season, after all.”

“I always do.” She paused, choosing her next words carefully. “Do you remember Jughead Jones?”

“Of course.” Her mom’s smile tightened, and her dad looked at her over the paper. “Why?”

“Southside’s school closed awhile back, but I’m sure you knew that. He’s been hanging out with us again.” Betty chose not to mention that he and Archie had just made up that night. She also decided mentioning his obvious serpent title would be a bad decision. “He asked about Polly today, because-well, he didn’t realize what happened-and it got me thinking maybe its time I saw her. Its been almost three months.”

“Oh honey, that’s not the best idea. Polly’s _sick.”_

Betty struggled to not let her nails cut into her palms. “I know, but I miss her. If I talk to her, she might start to feel better.”

“You can’t do anything Betty,” her dad stated abruptly, folding his paper. “Jason Blossum crushed your sister’s already-instable mental state. She doesn’t need any reminders from the past.”

“But if I could just-.”

“ _Elizabeth_!” Her mom’s shrill voice rang across the granite countertops, echoing all the way down into the dark hallway. Her dad said nothing, only looking everywhere but Betty. Fighting the lump in her throat, she let herself lock eyes with her mom, whose own were wide and sharp. The perfect image had blurred, giving a hint to what the Cooper family was really like. Her mom quickly composed herself, smiling to Betty sadly. The image was once again restored. “The answer is no. Do you understand? Polly needs to heal. We need to allow her time to do that.”

“Right.” She choked on the word. “Sorry mom.”

“Why don’t you go on upstairs? Get some homework done? I’m sure you have plenty.”

Betty didn’t miss the hidden order for her leave. Departing up the stairs, it was impossible to ignore the harsh whispers from the kitchen. Unable to make any of them out, she rounded the landing quickly and fled to her pastel bedroom. She locked the door behind her, before she started pacing. It was the same story, the same hopeless explanations, and Betty was now realizing that they were all crap. Polly was her sister; not some deranged mental patient. An image of the oldest Cooper sister tied in one of those white restraints haunted her mind and Betty’s nails finally cut through the skin of her palm.

She glanced at her phone. How long had it been since he left the parking lot? An hour? Two? Betty didn’t care. Quickly finding the new contact that had just been entered that evening, she continued pacing as she waited for answer.

“ _An hour and a half. Getting a little desperate for me, aren’t we Betts_?” There was music in the background, accompanied with loud voices. She didn’t ask where he was, or even acknowledge his joke. Betty took a steadying breath, trying to hide the fact she felt like crying. It didn’t go unnoticed. “ _What’s wrong?”_

“I still need your help. How opposed are you to skipping school tomorrow?”

***

Betty had everything planned. Waking up early, to make sure nothing would go wrong, she was already dressed in her favorite sweater and jeans when her mom waltzed into her room.

“Breakfast in five, Betty,” she smiled, their disagreement from the night before already pushed aside. “And you’re on your own for dinner tonight. Your father and I have a lot of work to finish.”

“Sure, Mom.” Betty was careful to remember to leave her school things scattered around her room. Jughead would need it to be messy later. “I invited a friend over for breakfast, if that’s alright.”

“Who?”

Betty had already skipped down the hallway, in perfect timing to the doorbell ringing. Taking the steps two at time, she hopped down in front of the door, before wrenching it open. He was there; smirk and beanie in place as always. However, instead of the leather that seemed to be a second skin, there was a dark plaid. Betty stopped, taking in how different he looked without it. Gone was the slight intimidation; instead there was slight bemusement at how _normal_ it was.

“It’s not even seven in the morning and Betty Cooper is already checking me out.”

“You just-,” she tried to find the right words. “-look nice, without it.”

There it was. The small tinge of red that occasionally escaped up his neck, reminding her that he was still in fact human.

“You know, I do occasionally take it off. Especially in the presence of white, suburban moms,” he whispered, sliding past her. Louder, he yelled. “Hey Mrs. C! Long time.”

Everything was going according to her plan. Only a few minutes had passed and both she and Jughead were seated at the dining room table, scarfing down what her mom had made that morning. Her mom was doing as expected; speaking politely, but watching the southsider extremely closely. It was when Jughead’s plate was empty and hers was getting nearer, that Betty paused their aimless conversations.

“It’s getting kind of late,” she commented, quickly. “If we want to finish that article we should probably get going. You wait here and I’ll just grab my stuff.”

“You finish eating,” Jughead winked. “I’ll get it. In your room?”

“Yeah, its everywhere,” she sighed, grimacing. “Good luck finding it all.”

“I’ll manage.”

Her mom appeared, smile tight. “I’ll just come with you!”

Betty grinned. It was almost too perfect. As the set of footsteps disappeared up the stairs, Betty flew across the room, digging in the maroon colored purse for her parents’ checkbook. Flinging to the back, she saw all the purchases. _Groceries…doctors bill…utilities for The Register…_

_The Sisters of Quiet Mercy_

Snapping a photo, Betty had just enough time to take her seat again, before the footsteps started again.

“Ready Betty?”

Responding to his call from the hallway, she jumped up and raced to the door, kissing her mom on the cheek and taking her outstretched bag from Jughead.

“Thanks for the breakfast, Mrs. C.”

“You kids be good!”

Betty flashed her mom a wide smile, before slamming the door.

***

“It’s not even a home.” Betty scrolled through another page, the knots in her stomach growing worse as the small pictures on the screen of her cellphone haunted her. The hallways were much too gray and the rooms, plain and ghostly white. “It looks more like a hospital or some sort of religious prison.”

“Stop looking at that,” Jughead sighed, glancing over at her from the driver’s seat. “It won’t do you any good.”

He was right. After a quick call to Archie and Veronica, begging them to call her in sick as the voice of her parents and a Google search for the payment her mom had made, Betty had been spending the car ride looking up everything she possibly could on where her sister had been hidden all this time. It was doing nothing but tearing her apart, knowing she had been a mere hour drive away in an insane asylum. Putting her feet up on the dash of his truck, Betty took a long, steadying breath before turning off her phone.

“What do we do,” she asked, quietly. “When we find her? What if Polly really is…crazy, like my mom says?”

“Do you really believe that?”

She didn’t answer. Betty didn’t know what to believe from her parents; what were lies fabricated to save their reputation and what was based on truth. It was better for her not to dwell on that though. It would likely just drive her insane.

“Why did you come with me?” she finally asked after too much silence. She’d been wondering it since she asked him, curious why her family drama mattered to him. Sure, it could help with the case, but he could have just as easily let her go alone.

“Why did you ask me to come with you?” Jughead gave her another glance, brows furrowed underneath the messy strands of hair coming from his beanie. “You could have asked any of your friends. Archie. Veronica. Why me?”

The question threw her. Why _did_ she ask Jughead? Betty had known Archie longer. He had even been there when things went sour, offering her a shoulder cry on. Veronica she was closer to; able to whisper any secret without judgement. Jughead, she had barely been reunited with for a week, four years of friendship missing from their lives. It something she couldn’t place; maybe the way when she talked to him and she could sense he actually listened to what she was saying or how he saw the importance in the things she cared about. It was those small pieces of their new, testing friendship that made Betty crave his presence over the others in her life.

“You just seemed like the right person to ask,” Betty answered simply. “We’re friends, right?”

“Sure. And I came with you, because it seemed really shitty to make you do this alone. You might get mad at me for saying this, but I don’t think the others would have come with you. This case, your sister…they all seem to have other stuff on their minds. That’s not what you need right now.

“You’re right,” Betty replied. “They’re worried about normal stuff. I’m almost jealous. I want my biggest concern right now to be what I’m wearing to the fall dance, not murder, but here I am.”

“I’m glad you’re like that.” Jughead smiled. Betty almost did a double take. It was a real one; not a sarcastic smirk. “That’s how you were when we were younger too; always focused on the bigger things. I really like working on this case with you.” Betty didn’t even get a chance to reply, because before she could, he was asking another question. “What do you really think about me being a serpent? No lies.”

Her brows came together. Jughead looked at the road, eyes determinedly not looking at her own. “What do you mean?”

“You make jokes and roll your eyes, but we haven’t really talked about.” His knuckles were white against the steering wheel, smile gone. Betty thought he almost looked nervous. “You said we’re friends. You really mean that?”

“Of course.”

“And it doesn’t matter you that I’m a serpent?”

“I don’t really know what it means,” she confessed. “That’s all we could talk about for a while. _Jughead is a serpent, now_ , but I don’t think anyone on the northside has any clue what you really do. I know it means you wear a leather jacket and you ride a motorcycle. Some people say you’re drug dealers or hitmen. Once, I overheard my mom telling my dad that the serpents will do any job, as long as they get paid.”

“What do you think?”

“Is it bad, that I don’t really care.” Her words were so soft, she was afraid he didn’t hear them. Betty felt ashamed even saying them. “You’re my Juggie-,” she fired his old, childhood nickname at him. “-and I’m your Betts. You’re helping me with the case. That’s all that matters.” There was silence, the air in the cab thick. She quickly broke it again. “I wouldn’t mind, though, finding out more. I told you about my crazy family. You could tell me about your criminal one.”

He almost cracked a smile. “I don’t think so, Betts.”

“Why?”

“You _should_ care,” he argued. “You should be worried that I could deal drugs or firearms and it should _terrify_ you that I could have killed someone. Instead, you asked me to tag along with you to find your long, lost sister. It might seem like being a serpent isn’t as bad as it sounds, but believe me things are lot more in depth than wearing a jacket to piss off the jocks at school. We’re friends, Betty. I swear that we are, but I’m not dragging you further into this.”

She watched him a moment, a smile playing on her lips. A serpent, maybe, but always the Jughead she grew up with. “We’ll see about that.”

***

Pulling up to the “home”, Betty wanted to vomit. It was old, and huge, resembling a haunted hospital from an old black-and-white movie. The grounds were green and plain, the occasional patch of shrubberies acting as the only decoration. As she and Jughead approach the double doors, a pair of nuns passed them and Betty shivered. There was calming hand on her shoulder.

“Deep breaths, Betts.”

The inside was just as bad. There was almost no noise except for the scratching of a pen across a piece of paper at the front desk. Betty approached it, struggling to keep the tremble in her voice low as the elderly woman looked at her. “Hi. I’m here to visit Polly Cooper. I’m her sister.”

“I’ll just have you sign in and then we can escort you to her.” The gray eyes turned sharply over Betty’s head and she knew she was examining Jughead. “ _You’ll_ have to wait here.”

It was quick. Before she could register the fact she was about to see her sister, Betty was being pushed through a set of hospital-like doors, shooting Jughead a nervous glance over her shoulder. He nodded, jaw hard; a small amount of encouragement, before the doors closed. She passed several men all in white and doors; endless doors. From what she could glance, the rooms were just as plain as the rest of the building.

“Polly likes to spend her free time in the garden,” the nurse explained quietly. “It relaxes her.”

Betty nodded, before she shown a door to the outdoors. Pushing through, it was then she saw her. Polly was just as beautiful as the last time Betty had seen her. Her face was glowing with rosy blush, hair more golden than ever, and a smile reached across her face as she touched a rose. There was no hospital gown or sickly look to her. No restraints and no hysteria. Betty suddenly felt like crying. All this time of hearing how sick her sister was, and here she was, perfectly normal.

“Polly!”

The cry grabbed the attention of the eldest Cooper daughter. Tears burning her eyes and desperate, erratic breaths heaving from her chest, Betty ran at her sister as a nervous laugh escaped her lips. Polly met her halfway, arms constricting her shoulders tightly. It was a mess of sobbed words and wet laughs; nothing coherent being spoken as they clutched each other tighter. It could have been minutes or hours, before Polly finally let her go, but Betty didn’t care. Tears still streaming down her face, Betty pulled back, about to confess how happy she was, when the sight of Polly’s stomach made her freeze.

There was a bulge; not huge, but enough that there was no hiding what it really was. Like a bolt of lightening, the truth of Polly’s disappearance hit her all at once, along with her parents lies.

“Oh, Polly,” Betty choked, a trembling hand going to hover over her sister’s pregnant belly. “Are you really-?”

“Mhm.” Polly nodded, more tears falling but another smile erupting. “Please be happy for me.”

“I am! Polly, I am. I get to be an aunt,” she squealed, breathlessly. “Is it Jason’s?”

Her sister nodded. “I wanted to tell you. I swear I did, but Mom and Dad said you didn’t want to talk to me. I knew it wasn’t true though.”

“They told me you were sick. I didn’t even know where to find you.”

“I knew they would come up with some dumb lie, make me look like the bad one,” Polly whispered, slowly leading Betty back towards the building. “I was going to tell you everything, but I never got the chance.”

“It’s okay, Pol. I swear,” Betty squeezed her waist as they walked. “What happened to you?”

“It was our parents and the Blossoms that ruined everything. His family hated that he was dating a Cooper and Dad thought the same thing about him. Jason and I got into a huge fight about it, but just a few days later I found out I pregnant. Oh, Betty he was so _happy_. All he could do was talk about was running away and starting our family together.” They pushed through the doors, entering the dry building and away from the wandering eyes outside. “On the morning of July fourth, I was supposed to meet him on the other side of Sweetwater River, but Mom and Dad were waiting for me downstairs. I don’t know how they found out, but they did. Men were waiting for me and before I could stop them they had pulled me into a van. I’ve been here ever since.”

“Polly.” Betty stooped walking, laying a hand against her sister’s warm cheek, a sob cutting through her throat. “I’m so sorry. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

“Does Jason know I’m here?” Polly suddenly asked. “I don’t want him to think I ran away alone. Could you get him a message? Tell him I remember everything. Go down old Highway 54 and when you see the broken maple syrup sign, you’re almost there. I can still meet him-.”

“Polly!” Betty spoke a bit too sharply, grabbing the attention of nearby nurses. She spied the doors she’d left Jughead through, and wondered of he heard. “You can’t meet Jason. But I promise I’m going to talk to Mom and we’ll come back-.”

“Why? What happened to him?” Polly’s smile was beginning to fall. Betty felt her stomach start to churn, another sob painfully stuck in her throat. “Is everything alright?”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Betty blurted. “When we get you home-.”

“Oh God, did they do something to him!” It was a desperate cry. Out of nowhere, a man in white came, grabbing Polly away from Betty. “I knew it! I knew it!”

Betty jumped forward, hands clawing for Polly’s. Sobs were falling from her now while her sister was practically screaming. “Polly. _Polly_. I swear, I’ll get you out.”

A door behind her slammed. Rough hands grabbed at her, yanking her away. Polly’s nails scraped Betty’s palms as she tried to hold onto her sister’s grasp. Another man came, grabbing Polly from behind. Betty yelled something, she wasn’t even sure quite what, as the stranger holding her lifted her off her feet and pushed her front against the wall.

Betty was only half aware of what was going on. Blurry eyes completely focused on Polly, she hardly noticed when the hands on her disappeared as Jughead ripped them off of her. There was dull thud as his fist met the face of the employee and another as the body hit the floor. New hands grabbed her now; familiar ones.

“Betty, we have to go.” He was pulling on her waist, speaking loudly over the screaming from Polly and the tears from herself. Polly made another hysterical move towards her and she tried to reach again. “Fuck, Betty they called your mom _._ We have to _go._ ”

She stumbled, clinging to his shoulder, allowing him to guide her through the doors with an arm around her middle. He was whispering to her; comforting words in a low tone that, but she couldn’t comprehend them. Her head swarmed as the sobs continued to wrack her chest. Her nails bit into her palms. Betty let Jughead halfway carry her to the truck, her promise to get Polly out the only thing on her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little taste of bughead in this chapter ;) thanks for the nice messages everyone!

She didn’t remember most of the drive home. Jughead had spoken to her. Most likely it was soothing, meant to calm her. Betty didn’t hear any of it; not a word. The tears had stopped flowing after a while. Evidently, it was possible to run out of them, however the heavy breaths and choked breathing didn’t end. Betty didn’t know what to do. All she knew, what that she was _furious._

Jughead had been right about the Sisters calling her mom. When his truck pulled up to the front of her house, her mom’s car was parked in the driveway, despite it being in the middle of the day. She barely waited for him to put it in park. Flinging open the door, Betty ignored his grabbed for her and raced up the grass and wrenched open the front door.

 “ _Elizabeth Cooper_ , you skipped school! Assaulted a nurse-!”

Her mom was a whirlwind of anger, rounding the corner of the hallway as soon as the front door opened. Blonde hair in a disarray, mouth in snarl, she backed Betty against the wall.

“You lied about Polly!” Betty retorted, throat growing dangerously tight again. “She’s _pregnant_ and you locked her away just because you’re ashamed.”

“Polly is _sick_.” Her mom’s hands waved as she shouted, pacing the length of the front hallway. “Pregnant or not, she is making up stories and fantasies about running away with that horrible Blossom kid. She needed help and you had no right going to see her without permission.”

“Stop saying that! She isn’t sick, she isn’t crazy! Polly is scared and sad. She needed me and you kept her away.”

“Did she tell you the same sob story she gave us when we had her admitted?” her mom hissed, rounding on her again. “You really think Jason Blossom was about to run away from his family’s protection to raise a kid God knows where? Polly was losing her mind, Betty. Jason wasn’t leaving with her. He didn’t love her. He _hurt_ her. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“You’re beginning to sound like you killed him yourself,” Betty spat. “I’m surprised you didn’t just rip the baby from Polly the second you knew about it.”

Her mom’s mouth fell, eyes widening. “ _Elizabeth-.”_

“I am going to leave,” Betty interrupted through gritted teeth. “I’m going to go with my friend and you aren’t going to try and stop me.”

“If you think you’re going to be allowed outside of this house with that _Jughead_ again-.”

“I am going to leave,” Betty repeated, words harsher and louder. “Because you are driving me _insane._ Because I can’t even look at you without feeling disgusted. I need time to think about the lies my parents have feeding me for months. I’ll come home and I’ll behave. But if you try to stop me, I will tell everyone in town about Polly’s little secret. Is that fair?”

Her mom swallowed loudly, obviously thinking over her words. “Fine. You aren’t grounded. Go. But if you step one more toe out of line-.”

“What?” Betty asked, already opening the front door. “You’re going to send me away too?”

Slamming the door behind her, she stopped when Jughead was blocking her path. He didn’t say anything. It was already obvious he’d heard their yelling match. Looking at him was too much; Betty felt her lip quiver.

“Please get me out of here.”

Jughead didn’t need to be asked twice. Getting a firm grip on her elbow, he ushered her quickly back to the truck. Betty didn’t pay to much attention to where they were going. The trees and buildings blurred past as she kept focused on not crying. She’d done enough of that.

It wasn’t until the truck began to slow, that Betty looked around and realized she didn’t recognize where he’d taken her. In a dusty parking lot, he parked in front a bar, numerous bikes lined outside the front. She sniffed, sitting up higher.

“Where are we?”

“The Whyte Wyrm,” he answered, reaching in the backseat and coming back with a black piece of leather. Betty watched as she shrugged on his serpent jacket. “Serpent territory. It’s the middle of the day so, it won’t be busy. Just follow me and don’t say anything.”

She nodded, desperately wanting to ask why he thought her needed escape was a bar, but decided to keep her mouth shut. Betty tucked herself against his back walking in, keeping her face close to the leather. She was immediately greeted with smell of alcohol and smoke. A speaker somewhere was playing soft rock and a few heated voices could be heard. Jughead kept walking, shoulders tight, and she twisted her fingers on the back of his jacket.

“Jones! Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Shut up, Tall Boy.”

Laughs followed. Betty kept her head low, still blindly following him. She didn’t have the courage to lift her head. They went up a set of wooden stairs and it wasn’t until they were at the top that Jughead stopped, pulling out a set of keys and unlocking the door in front them. He motioned for Betty to go in, before flipping on the lights. She found herself in a small apartment; a couch and television in front of her and a small kitchen. At the end of the hall, through a half-opened door, there was an unmade bed.

“You live here?” she looked over her shoulder as Jughead shut the door behind them. He nodded. “I like it.”

“It’s not much,” he admitted, moving past to her to throw his jacket on the couch. Betty followed, standing beside him “When Dad got locked up, I was underage, so they sent me to a foster family. We made a deal and I lived here, but I showed up at their place enough to convince the social worker they were taking care of me. When I turned eighteen a few months ago, it didn’t matter anymore.”

“Oh.” Betty thought back, trying to picture Jughead’s father. He had been mentioned, but she wasn’t sure if had ever actually met him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Jughead faced her, letting out a long breath. He looked to her, eyes travelling across her tear stained faced and arms curled around her torso. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know,” she confessed, voice cracking. She ran a shaking hand through her hair. “Jason was running away _with_ her. Polly isn’t crazy and those men just dragged her away. My mom doesn’t even care. I-I don’t know what to do.”

The ugly sob had barely broken through her throat before two arms were reaching out, cradling her against a warm chest. Betty didn’t hold back the tears. It was too much to hold in. The image of Polly screaming, clawing for Betty’s hand was a nightmare; one that would haunt her indefinitely. Burrowing her head against Jughead’s shirt, Betty tangled her fingers on the fabric on his shoulders.

“I’m just _tired_ ,” she wailed. A hand tangled in the back of hair, holding her head still while she cried. “All this time of believing my parents and pretending everything is okay. I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want Polly to come home.”

“We’ll get her back, Betts. I promise. We’ll prove everyone wrong.”

She leaned her head back, tilting her chin enough that she could see his face. He continued to surprise her. Everyday. It was incredible how little time had passed since Jughead was thrown back into her life and even more unbelievable how quickly he seemed to consume it all. Maybe this is how it would have been if never left. They would have grown closer, slowly becoming the one the other depended on.

She didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe it was the sudden realization that she hadn’t been this close to someone in a long time, but Jughead’s warm breath across her face was almost intoxicating. Betty was all at once painfully aware that the fingers tangled in her hair were moving, kneading against her scalp. Her own hands tightened their grip on his shirt, slowly pulling it towards her while she leaned on her toes and molded her lips to his.

For a moment, that’s all it was. The world stilled as her mind went blank, realizing how _good_ it felt feel his skin on hers. This where it had been leading; a friendship that lasted fourteen years before taking an uninvited break, only to be thrown back together. Betty could feel him start to pull back, the fingers in hair loosening. Betty nipped at his bottom lip, trying to pull him back in.

It worked.

The change was instant. His lips crashed against hers, breath mixing with her own as his tongue swept against her lip. Betty let out a noise, something between a sigh and a moan as hands moved, cradling her neck. Jughead bore down on her, backing her against the kitchen counter.

“Jug,” Betty gasped, unable to deny her lungs air for any longer. His lips moved to the soft skin of her neck, biting and marking, while she worked the plaid off his shoulders, leaving him in a black t-shirt. Unfamiliar heat was everywhere; burning where one hand cupped her face and where the other held a bruising grip on the curve of her hip. It coursed through her veins, driving her to tug him closer even though there was no where else to go. He parted her legs, stepping between and bringing his lips back on her own. “ _Juggie.”_

Kissing had never been like this before. Betty didn’t even realize it could be so intense. Veronica often spoke about her past one-night stands and Archie was no stranger to sex. She never knew if their tales held any truth to them, but now, flushed against a kitchen counter with Jughead standing between her legs, she realized how great it could be.

It was when her hands travelled, creeping to hook themselves in the top of his jeans, that Jughead slowed. His rough hands hooked around her wrists, moving them away. He kept his face close to hers, his labored breathing loud in her ears. “Betty, don’t.”

“Why?” She leaned in again, focused only on securing his mouth back on hers, but he was quicker. Jughead angled his head so she couldn’t reach, chuckling slightly. She frowned. “I _want_ this.”

“You think I don’t?” he asked softly, face again in front of hers. He dropped her wrists, but didn’t moved away. “You’re hurting, Betts. You’re sad and confused. It’s been a really long day-.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with this,” she breathed. “If I didn’t want this, I wouldn’t have started it.”

“Just two minutes you were sobbing uncontrollably and fifteen minutes before that having a shouting competition with your mom. I’m not being your band-aid, because when it’s over, you’d hate me and yourself.”

“I wouldn’t you hate you.”

“You would.” Jughead laid a hand on the counter behind her, a smirk edging its way onto his face. “It’s not happening like this Betty. You just need to try and rest. Maybe calm down a bit-.”

“God, what I need for everyone else deciding what I should do.” Betty shoved him hard. He moved aside, jaw tight and smirk fading as she stalked past him. “Can I not just one time decide what’s best for me? I don’t need _rest._ I don’t need to calm down!” She whirled on him again, not caring how his eyes slanted as she stormed to be in front of him. “You said you would help me and be there for me!”

“So, that means I’m just supposed to fuck you whenever you want to forget about something,” he snarled. “I have been there for you! More than any of your other _friends_ have. I’m trying to be the sane one here!”

“Right, because I’m just crazy!” Betty took another step closer. “Crazy just like Polly!”

 “ _Stop_.” Jughead towered over her, one hand in a tight fist by his side and other pointed right at her face. Betty glared at him. “You do not say that. Ever.” She couldn’t answer. Her lip was trembling again, but for a whole different set of reasons. Embarrassment and anger flooded her. A stray tear rolled down her cheek, but she ignored it, keeping her hard gaze on Jughead. He took a step away, wiping a hand across his face. “Stay here and-.”

“What?” she spat. “ _Calm down_.”

“Yes. Calm the fuck down, Betty. When I come back up here, you better not try and jump me.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Where are you going?”

“I have shit to do. I’ll be downstairs. You stay here.”

She watched as he ripped his jacket back on, not turning back as he walked out the door and slammed it shut.

***

Jughead lit the cigarette, taking a long drag from his occasional bad habit as he stomped down the stairs into the Whyte Wyrm. It was getting busier, the normal crowd coming through for the Friday afternoon. Serpent jackets covered nearly every back there, except for the occasional girlfriend or drifter. He ignored the several greetings, moving to sit at the bar.

“Some of the guys are saying you snuck something cute up to your place a few minutes ago,” Toni smirked, ignoring his glare. “Now, that wouldn’t be good old Blondie, would it?”

“So what if it was?” he snapped. Sweet Pea and Fangs sat on the stools on either side of him. “Why aren’t you guys at school?”

“Half day.” Sweet Pea answered, taking the beer Toni handed him. “You would have known that if you were there.”

“I had something to do.”

“Did she have blonde hair?”

There was a series of laughter around them. Someone even whistled and clapped him on the back. Jughead locked eyes with Toni, who was the only one not laughing, before putting out the cigarette on the counter and standing up. It happened in one solid movement. Sweet Pea’s head hit the bar top mid-laugh, Jughead’s arm on his neck. There was silence. Jughead didn’t even say anything. There was no need. Letting him again, he was only silently pleased to see the trail of blood running from his companion’s nose.

“Meeting. Need-to-knows only!” he shouted to the bar. Looking back to Toni, he continued quietly. “Today, I got a bit closer on finding out what happened to our drugs.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead wasn’t quite sure what to expect walking back into his apartment. The meeting with the serpents took longer than he had been planning. While everyone seemed to be certain Jason had been killed by the Ghoulies, there was now a new accusation that Jughead had been spilling everything to a certain cheerleader.

Serpent law: Serpent business stays within the serpents. No outsiders.

For the time being, he had been able to convince them that he hadn’t told Betty anything about his suspicions over Jason’s murder. It was the truth. His new blonde companion was completely clueless on what the southside knew revolving the Blossum kid. God, it killed him though. From his first day back on the northside, he wished he could tell her every hidden detail about the case. It would put a target on her back though. The Ghoulies, while being the much more inferior gang, were always looking for ways to take down the ‘Serpent King.’ If they caught wind she was involved with Jughead or was trying to get involved with the drug business, it wouldn’t be long before something went wrong.

Pushing gangs and rivalries out of his mind, Jughead half-expected Betty to still be bawling. A part of him wondered if she’d tried to convince him to sleep with her again; something that was _very_ hard to say no to. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t find Betty attractive. He always had. Gangs set aside, he was still a teenage guy. There was something enticing about the girl next door that was so far out of his league it wasn’t funny. Having her by his side the past few days didn’t make it any easier. Now that the friendship was back, it was getting even more difficult to not let his eyes wander over her toned legs or golden hair.

A selfish part of him was upset her desire for him earlier was a part of the hysteria. Had it not been, Jughead wasn’t sure if he would have been able to say no.

Entering his small living room, he was surprised to see it cloaked in shadows. The sun had set and no lights had been turned on. Wondering why Betty hadn’t bothered to do so, he quickly realized why when he moved closer.

She was sleeping. Hands balled into tiny fists tight against her chest, Betty was curled on one end of the couch. Her hair was still in a disarray from, not only the fight with her mom, but their making out session. Streaks of mascara still lined her cheeks and Jughead knew she must have passed out quickly after he left. She had to be exhausted. Doubting she slept much the night before in anticipation of seeing her sister, the days events had to be weighing on her heavily.

He didn’t help by yelling at her.

Letting out a long sigh mixed with guilt and regret, Jughead quickly scooped her up and headed towards his room. Betty didn’t even budge, giving a hint towards her exhaustion. He kicked open the door to his room, laying her on the unmade bed. Tugging the blanket over her, he suddenly realized he didn’t know what to do. It was too early for him to lay down, so did he just leave her and go back downstairs? Should he stay in the living room?

Feeling stupid, Jughead took another glance at his childhood crush, curled in his bed, before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

***

When Betty woke, it took her a moment to realize where she was. Warm and cozy, she was buried underneath a deep blue blanket, a complete contrast to her own at home that was a light shade of pink. Her face was pressed into a pillow smelling too much like cologne to be anything in her house. It wasn’t until she felt the dried tears and sticky mascara on her cheeks that everything came flooding back to her.

Polly scratching her hand as they pulled her away, her mom screaming at her from down the hallway, and Jughead’s mouth consuming her as the kitchen counter pierced into her back…

“Oh God,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as the familiar embarrassment flooded her. Her request to Jughead loomed in her mind, his rejection hitting her straight in the chest. How could she have been so _dumb?_ Betty just ruined everything, just because she thought sex with her friend would solve all the pain.

Trying to push aside her recent reckless decisions out her immediate memory, she sat up and studied the room around her. It was plain. A dresser stood on one end, with a few scattered photographs and a couple of band posters hung on the walls. It no doubt belonged to Jughead. The clock on the wall told her it was barely past ten in the evening. Tucking her arms around her, Betty dragged herself out of the warm bed and into the front room. She quickly found she wasn’t alone in the apartment. In front of the counter, pouring a cup of coffee, was Jughead. He wore a lose pair of sweats and an old ‘S’ t-shirt, along with his signature beanie.

“Hi, Jug.” Her voice was cracked when she spoke softly; hurting after spending most of the day crying and yelling. It seemed to echo in the small room. Jughead turned, expression blank when he saw her. “Um, I’m _really_ -.”

“Don’t.” He raised the cup of coffee to his mouth. “Don’t even think about apologizing.”

“I was horrible though,” she mumbled, going to stand in front of him. “You have been _amazing_ , through this whole thing, and I was so mean to you.”

“I was a jerk to you too.” He offered her an empty cup. Betty gave him a small smile, before filling it. “It was just a bad day.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. Betty waited a moment, waiting to see of he would bring up the elephant in the room. She was grateful when there was no mention of the rejection he gave her. “Lets just not be mean to each other anymore.”

“Deal.”

She took a long sip of the coffee, enjoying the warmth on her throat. She ran a fist over her cheeks, trying to wipe off the back smears. Jughead gave her a pointed look, before running a paper towel under the water and moving to wipe her face.

“Thanks,” she grinned, as he held her chin still and cleaned the marks. “I guess I was little tired when you left.”

“A little is an understatement,” he teased, tossing away the paper towel. “Pretty sure you slept like eight hours. Is your mom going to be worried?”

“No. She doesn’t care. Whenever I go home, it’ll be like nothing ever happened.”

“Tonight?” Jughead folded his arms across his chest, eyeing her. Betty did her best to look at his face and not the lean biceps that were being put on display. “And what does Betty Cooper plan on doing with her Friday night?”

“Polly had a spot to meet Jason,” she explained. “Before everything went bad, she told me about it. Well, mentioned it. It was on the old highway, apparently somewhere past a maple syrup sign. I’m going to see if anything’s there.”

“That’s something we need to talk about,” he sighed, running a hand over his face. “The whole Jason thing, but before I say anything, I need to know that you trust me. I can’t tell you everything. If I did, it gives the serpents full reign to hurt you and take me out.”

Betty stilled, coffee cup pressed against her chin. Rarely did Jughead bring up anything about his gang. If he did, it was usually just to tease her about something. “I thought you were in charge.”

“I am, but I can’t break the rules that have been there since before I was born, Betts.” He paused and she could tell he was thinking about what he needed to tell her. Betty reached forward, cupping his arm and he smiled softly. “I need you to be really careful around this case.”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to solve a murder and you don’t have any idea who committed it. If you find more clues and leads on what happened to Jason, you might end up pissing off who’s responsible. I don’t want you keeping your stuff at school anymore or even talking about it there. You need to keep all your notes at home, away from where anyone can get nosy.”

“Okay,” she answered, carefully. “Do you-do you know something I don’t?”

“The serpents are pretty sure we know why Jason was killed,” he explained, lines in his face hard. “We had another meeting over it tonight, but I can’t tell you Betty. I’m so sorry, but you can’t know more than that.” There was another long pause. His throat bobbed and Jughead looked down to the ground. Betty suddenly felt sick. “Also, we can’t do what we did tonight again.”

“What?” she breathed, fingers tightening on his arm. “Are you mad I kissed you?”

“God, no.” There was a hint of a smile, but it was strained. “This mess with Jason is more my problem than yours, though. I know the case means a lot to you, so I’m not going to make you stop working on it, but its going to bring a lot of trouble. If we’re together-as in, more than friends-things might get worse for you.”

“Oh.” Betty felt something weird in her stomach, like a twisting of nerves. She hadn’t thought much of a relationship with Jughead, only that kissing him had felt so natural and _nice_ , she knew it was something she wanted to do again. The realization she wouldn’t be able to do soleft her chest feeling heavy. “We’re still friends though?”

“Of course,” he grinned. “Just no more making out, okay?”

“Sure,” she agreed, faking a smile. “I’ll be good.”

“Now, I’ve got that off my chest, let me go change and then we can go hunt down your highway,” he addressed her happily, walking towards his room. “You want some clothes? I know you’ve been in those for ages.”

“You’re coming with me?” she asked, following him. He tossed her a pair of old sweats, obviously too small for him, and a t-shirt. She’d been in her clothes for long enough now that they were sticking to her uncomfortably. She paused, realizing there might be a way for Jughead to retract his new rule of them just being friends. Smirking, as he continued digging in his dresser drawers, she kept talking but began stripping out of her pants. “You really don’t have to. I could call Veronica to pick me up.”

“Right,” he snorted. “Because I’m just going to-.” The words trailed off before fully stopping, mouth popping open while his eyes went straight to the bare legs in front of him. Betty acted like she hadn’t noticed, kicking off the jeans and slipping into the comfortable sweatpants with ease.

“What?” she asked, tightening her ponytail, glancing to him.

“Nothing,” he muttered, slamming the drawer shut. “You can grab a shirt from the closet. I’ll change in the bathroom.”

He stalked past her and Betty had to concentrate on keeping the smug grin off her face.

***

“Veronica, I swear, everything is fine.”

“ _B, you can not just have us call in sick for you and then not tell us anything all day! You are seriously going to give me an aneurysm.”_

_“Betty if you had wanted to go find Polly you should have told us. I would have helped you.”_

She sighed, letting her friends rant on. Veronica had put her on speaker when she called, immediately grilling her. Archie had made sure to let his resentment known too, although his seemed more serious than her favorite brunette. Veronica was just annoyed she had been kept out the loop.

“I know you have had, but I had Jughead with me.” She gave him a glance, that he returned from the driver’s seat. “I’ll meet up with you two later and we can talk about everything. I promise.”

“ _Ugh, you are killing me!”_ Veronica fake screamed. “ _So, are you with your little snake toy now?”_

“V, stop.”

_“That’s a yes. Are you staying the night with him?”_

“Betty.” Jughead brought the truck to a stop on the side of the road, nodding to a worn billboard in front of them. A large maple leaf was printed on the front and peeling, red letters spelled ‘Syrup’ in old cursive.

“I have to go,” she told her friends, quickly. “I’ll see you later.” She tucked her phone away, hopping from the cab as Jughead did the same. She tightened his borrowed-sweatshirt around herself in the night, fall air. Jughead waited for her, serpent jacket in place and a flashlight in hand. “I don’t really know what to look for.”

“We just look,” he answered as they fell into a slow walk. “Try to find anything they might have stashed.” Jughead hadn’t spoken much after catching her undressing. Betty didn’t mind though. She knew she had got to him. “Were your friends worried?”

“Not really. Veronica was mainly pissed that I didn’t keep her updated.”

“And Archie?”

“I don’t know,” she answered, honestly. “He didn’t really say.” Betty waited a bit before she said anything else, keeping her yes low to the ground to look for anything out of place. It was when the truck was far in the distance, that she decided to speak up again. “Would your friends really hurt you if you said anything to me? About what you do?”

“Yes,” he answered dully. “Rules are rules. It’s not me I’m worried about though.”

“I get that,” she retorted, giving him an eye roll. “I feel like its only fair I know something, though. I can keep it a secret.”

“I know you can, but if they ever found out-.”

“But, Jug-.”

“Betts. No.” He used the voice with her; the one she hated. It was the one he used to boss around his serpents. “It’s not up for discussion. You aren’t a serpent. You can’t know.”

“Okay,” she answered reluctantly. The prospect of the serpents doing something to her hardly crossed her mind. In fact, it wasn’t even really an issue. As frustrating as it was, though, she wouldn’t let her need to know more ruin his relationship with his second family. “I won’t ask anymore.”

“I want to ask about Polly,” he finally said, successfully steering the conversation another way. “I didn’t see much of her. When it all went down, I was mainly concerned with getting that creep off your back, but was she-?”

“Pregnant? Yeah, that’s why she got sent away. My parents were too embarrassed.”

“Shit,” he mumbled. “And Jason wasn’t running away from her, was he?”

“No,” Betty answered, sadly. Her sister’s child would never know their father. “He was running with her. Jason wanted to raise the baby with Polly. That’s why we have to find something here, Jughead. Anything to prove she isn’t crazy and to get her out. And then, we figure out Jason’s murderer. I can’t go through life, not being able to tell my niece or nephew what happened to their dad. Polly deserves to know who killed him.”

“We’ll figure it out, Betts.”

She wasn’t sure why, but suddenly Betty was ready to find whatever they were looking for and go home. She’d always been afraid the dark; had been since she was a little girl. It could have been the lack of lights or the fact the truck was far enough in the distance she could hardly see it, but Betty was now watching the edge of the trees with new apprehension. Jughead was right. Jason’s killer was still somewhere in Riverdale. What if they knew she was a hunting for them?

She stepped a bit closer to Jughead, the movement not giving her much relief as they continued walking. Was that the wind, moving the branches or something else? The scatter of leaves across the forest floor were all the sudden too loud; too much like footsteps and not the result of a night breeze. “I feel like someone’s watching us.”

“Still afraid of the dark, Cooper?”

“Shut up,” she mumbled, still watching the trees. “Jug, I’m serious. I don’t like this.”

“Betty.” She could practically hear him roll his eyes as he came to stop to face her. She did the same. “You’re the one who wanted-.”

The smirk fell, head slightly tilting towards the trees. Betty heard it too; the rustle of leaves, the snapping of a twig. The trees were still. The blood drained from her face as she locked eyes with Jughead.

“Go back to the truck.” He was watching the trees now, giving her a small shove. Betty complied, a protest about finding the evidence to save Polly on the edge of her lips. No. They could come back during the day. Right now, they definitely were not alone. She nodded, but not before slowing her anxious walk.

Betty saw it. Now, walking back the other way, she could see what had been hidden to them before. Parked behind two large trees, covered in a mixture of shadows and broken branches, was an old car. Without even thinking, she raced towards it. “Betty!” She ignored him, practically skidding to a stop by the back hatch. Ripping it open, ignoring the dirt and leaves that fell from it from it being idle for so long, she let out an audible gasp at what was in front of her. “Betty, _now_!”

“Jug, look,” she croaked, eyes widening at the contents of Jason’s car; bags stuffed with clothes, a box of photographs and a few trinkets, and then a pile of small packages wrapped tightly in plastic. Her hand reached out, picking one up carefully as she examined it. “Is this what I think it is?”

It was knocked out of her hands, tumbling next to the others. Jughead grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the car. “Don’t touch any of that. It’s all evidence,” he warned her. “Go to the truck.”

“But Polly-.” Betty gave a tug it the direction of the car.

“Will get out of that hell hole tonight because of what we found.” Jughead was now dragging her in the direction they came from. She didn’t miss his wary expression and hard jaw as he scanned the dark line of trees. “But it won’t matter if you’re dead. Now, come on!”

She did as he told her. Together, his hand tight around hers, they sprinted to the safety of the truck. Betty made call after call after Jughead sped away, his destination being the religious prison her sister was kept. First was the sheriff, describing exactly what they found and where they were going. The second, to her mom. Betty had been nervous to make it, but the anticipation of having her sister back home that evening overpowered everything. Surprisingly, there a joy on the other end. Her mom seemed speechless, that Polly’s tale was true and there was hope she wasn’t insane like everyone thought. She hastily agreed to meet Betty at the home to get Polly out. The third and final call was made to Veronica. She, of course, was worried and fretted, but Betty promised they could still sit down face to face to discuss everything that had happened.

For once, everything was falling into place.

They made it in record time. Betty ran ahead of him, ignoring both the front desk and the fact it was after hours. Pushing through the double doors, a couple of nurses shouted something to her, but Betty didn’t even hear them. She ran until she saw the door labeled P. Cooper and hurried through, a smile a mile wide on her face.

It was as though someone dumped a bucket of ice over her head.

The bed was unmade and empty while the curtains blew in the nighttime breeze. The window was shattered; completely broken open, with a hole wide enough for Betty to crawl through. Shards littered floor and they crunched under Betty shoes as she crept slowly towards the frame. Blood splattered the wood and now that she looked closer, it dripped from numerous shards.

“Jughead,” she whispered, unsure if he heard. She didn’t even know if he was in the room. Her eyes were locked on the small pool of blood. “She’s gone.”

Fingers intertwined in her own, warm and comforting. Betty squeezed them back as sob broke through her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang in there everyone. Very protective Jughead/cute bughead moments in the next couple of chapters after this one ;) you all are amazing!  
> Also, I'm in need of a beta. As you all probably realize, I suck at catching small grammar mistakes. Let me know if you're interested!

There had been yelling. _Lots_ of yelling. Occasionally there were tears and even a balled fist. Surprisingly, the fury hadn’t come from Alice Cooper, but rather Hal. Betty very rarely made her dad upset. Honestly, she felt as if she barely interacted with him at all. He was just a man she’d known her entire life, that she would make small talk with at the breakfast table. When her mom was being too unreasonably in his presence, he would come to Betty’s aid.

That night had been different.

Betty’s mom had gone silent after the disappearance of Polly, the shock of it all rendering her usually-overbearing personality into something quieter; unfamiliar. She’d hugged Betty closely on the steps of that horrible building they locked Polly in, whispering that they would find her and bring her home; that everything would be okay and apologizing for the fight they had before. Jughead had left then, leaving her to grieve with her heartbroken mother. It was when the pair of them arrived back home, the hour late and house dark, that her dad made his feelings clear.

Betty had never seen him so angry before. The vein popping out in his neck was new to her, as was the red on face and angry fists he waved. _Polly needed help. Betty had no right to interfere_. It went on for an eternity, before her mom was able to convince him to retire to their room, their heated whispers drifting down the hallway.

That was how Betty ended up curled on her bed, Archie next to her and Veronica and Kevin laid out on the floor. Every doubt Betty had about them was disproven that evening, as all three rushed to her side in the middle of the night. Veronica snuck in wine coolers and brought over her comfiest pajamas, while Kevin and Archie arrived with their arms full of fries and burgers from Pop’s. They let Betty spill everything. They let her cry and rant on every detail from Polly and the baby, to Jughead and the serpents.

“I’m so sorry we weren’t here for you Betty,” Veronica crooned from her spot below the bed. “If I had known how bad it was, I would have been there.”

“You guys didn’t know,” Betty gave a wave of her hand, dismissing the apology. “You don’t need to be sorry. I’m just happy you’re here now.”

“You should have told us,” Archie piped up while Kevin nodded. Betty gave them sad smiles. “From now on, I’ll be there with you through all of this. I promise.”

“Yeah, Betty.” Kevin tossed a fry in his mouth while he spoke. “I mean, we should have been taking this seriously from the beginning. What if whoever got Jason wants someone else?”

“What if they want Polly?” Betty questioned. Archie’s hand tightened on her knee. Jughead’s comment about the Ghoulies loomed over her. “Or maybe they’re a serial killer and Jason was just the first victim. This could be something _huge,_ you guys. I was stupid for thinking I could handle it on my own.”

“You aren’t alone,” Veronica argued. “You have us, and your newly found snake buddy.”

“What if its not enough?” Betty whispered, her voice laced with the new fear that Jason’s case was something much deeper and terrifying than she imagined. “There were drugs in that car tonight. If Polly got herself into trouble with Jason, that could lead whoever killed them here. What if that’s why Polly vanished? What if they find her first?”

“Wherever she ran off to, she knows what she’s doing,” Veronica assured her. “From what you’ve told me about her, she doesn’t seem like the type that would put her baby in harm’s way. You need to try and relax.” Veronica glanced to her watch. Betty didn’t know the time, but figured it had to be the very early hours of the morning. “Alright, gentlemen. If you are heterosexual, we will have to ask you to leave. Also, if you are homosexual, because this is girl time and you have no business being part of our sleepover.”

Betty grinned as Archie gripped her in a tight hug, hand lingering on her back for longer than normal. When he pulled away, he didn’t move back immediately. “Really, Betty. I’ll be there from now on.”

“Thanks, Arch,” she grinned as he left. Kevin did the same and quickly she and Veronica were under the covers, the lights off and faces pressed close together. Betty needed this. The time to talk without judgement or disapproving glances from Archie; to discuss matters that were more in tuned with the teenager she was and not revolved around death and fear.

“Now that testosterone in the room is gone,” Veronica whispered, “tell me _everything_. And I mean everything that wasn’t absolutely terrifying about your past couple of days.”

“I really messed up, V.” It was practically a whine. Even in the presence of her best friend, Betty still felt the embarrassment. “It was really bad. I was so upset over Polly and Jughead took me back to his place.” She buried her face in the pillow. “I kissed him.”

“Oooh, Betty Cooper _does_ have a thing for snakes.”

“And then I tried to get him to have sex with me.”

“Betty!”

“And then I got mad at him when he told me no.”

She peaked sideways from where her face was buried to glance at Veronica. Her friend’s mischievous smile was wide, open in disbelief. Veronica poked her side, biting her lip. “You little devil.”

“This is serious,” Betty pouted, rolling onto her back in frustration. “Everything was great. We were _friends,_ just like before, except even better. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking, it had been way too long since you had some dick, and he would be the perfect provider.”

“No,” Betty made a face while Veronica stifled her laugh. “I was just _sad._ I thought it would make me feel better.”

“Props to him for saying no, though. Like for real. Reggie and Chuck would rip down your pants if you just looked at them nicely.”

Betty made another disgusted face. “I don’t know what to do. He told me we can’t do that again.”

“What? Almost have sex?”

“We can’t be more than friends, because of what he does. Apparently being the leader of a gang puts you in a tough spot.”

“Please,” Veronica rolled her eyes. “He says that now, but we all know it’ll just be a matter of time before he’s the one in this bed, not me. Jughead has been back, like a week, and you already have him wrapped around your finger. Trust me, you play you play your cards right and he’ll be all over you before you know it. Is that what you want? To be more than friends?

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. The memory of his mouth on hers, hand wound in her hair, made her heart clench. If Jughead had his way, they’d never do it again. “I think so.”

“So, just show him what he’s missing out on. I know for a fact you have an abundance of tiny skirts to match your sweaters,” Veronica grinned. “And you have always looked beyond gorgeous in your uniform. Just make sure he sees it too.”

“How?” Betty pushed. “I’ve never been good at that stuff.”

“Seriously, B? Every guy in school practically drools each time you walk by. You’re _already_ good at it, you just need to up your game a bit.”

Betty nodded, tucking the blanket up under her chin. It seemed silly, to be worrying about something as trivial as a crush when her sister was pregnant and missing. Her priorities were crooked, but a part of her didn’t care. Although her thoughts still lingered on her sister, she couldn’t help thinking about Jughead. Surely, he didn’t really just want to be friends. They way he kissed her back, driving her into the counter, wasn’t something someone did out of obligation.

If it weren’t for that _stupid_ , leather jacket everything would have been too easy.

***

The rest of the weekend went by too quickly. Her parents spent the entirety of it at home for once, not stepping into the office for even a minute. There had been no word of Polly. Notices and signs were posted in every town for miles, but evidently no one had spotted the pregnant Cooper sibling. Betty wondered if she had run to wherever she and Jason had been planning on going. Maybe, now with the knowledge that the father of her baby was dead, Polly had decided to take her future into her own hands. If Polly didn’t want her family, then there wouldn’t be much they could do about it. Betty just prayed she was safe and happy.

Jughead never texted or called her. Betty didn’t mind. The last he’d seen her had been her, she was clutching her mom, crying quietly for her sister. He was most liking giving her time to grieve with her family.

Also, ignoring their menial problem of where they stood, there was still issue that they had been undoubtedly followed by someone in the woods. The thought haunted Betty like a bad dream. When Polly faded from her immediate thought, her mind filled with the ice-chilling sound of the leaves crunching when they had stopped walking. The mystery of it all made her think more about Jughead’s statement about the Ghoulies. Personally, she didn’t know much about them. They didn’t wear any infamous pieces of leather like the serpents that proudly showed who they were. She knew the group of them at school though. There were only a few of them; a group of scraggly guys that practically snapped at anyone that stepped too close, but they didn’t draw near the same amount of attention as Jughead’s gang.

The rivalry wasn’t very present in the halls of Riverdale High, but it made Betty wonder how bad it was on the southside; what Jughead’s daily battle consisted of with the group. It also made her think what Jason could have possibly done with them to not only get himself killed, but to get Jughead involved.

Monday morning came and Betty went about her usual routine, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail and trying to push Polly out of her thoughts. When it came to getting dressed, Veronica’s suggestion came to mind. She would be lucky later in the week. It was the last football game of the season that coming Friday, requiring her to wear her vixen uniform, little skirt included. For now, she settled on one of her shorter, light blue skirts with a matching sweater; something completely Betty-like, so it wouldn’t look like she was trying too hard.

Skipping down the steps, she wasn’t sure what state she would find her parents in. Her mom spent all of Sunday afternoon calling all of the surrounding police departments, hounding them on where Polly could have gone. Her dad had been sullen, downing coffee and looking as though he hadn’t slept since her disappearance. Betty was pleased, but surprised, to find neither was the case. Her mom flittered around the kitchen, a large travel bag in hand while her dad was scribbling on a notepad.

“Mom? Dad?”

“Oh, Betty sweetie,” her mom beamed, noticing her standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Sorry there’s no breakfast this morning.”

“No, that’s fine,” Betty said slowly, eyeing the travel bag. She noticed her dad’s small suitcase was on the counter as well. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Just us,” her dad answered, giving her half a grin. Another fight forgotten as though it had never happened. “Your mother is convinced she can do a better job than half the police force of the New York.”

“No,” her mom argued. “I just don’t think finding Polly is high on their priority list, since she’s overage.”

“You’re looking for Polly? I want to go too!” Betty made a move towards the doorway, wanting to grab her things. Her mom stopped her though, a gentle hand clutching her forearm.

“Sweetheart, we need you to stay here. I know you want to help, but that’s the best job for you now. We’ll only be gone a few days, but what if she came home? Or tries to call the house? Besides, you have school, vixen practice…Polly would want you here.” Betty didn’t know how much of her mom’s statement was true, but found herself nodding solemnly anyway. “That’s my good girl. Now, like I said, we won’t be gone long. We’re just going to see of maybe someone saw her and if we can track her down. I left you some money on the counter. Do not even think of getting into the liquor cabinet and don’t stay up too late.”

“And no boys,” her dad joked, kissing her forehead. “Be good.”

“I always am.”

***

“You look nice today.”

Betty glanced behind her as she opened her locker, smiling at the redhead over her shoulder. “Thanks, Arch. Where’s Veronica?”

“In the lounge with Kevin. I was going to go sit with them. Want to join?”

“Would love to,” she replied, turning and giving him a dramatic frown, “but I’ve got to go pack some stuff in the Blue and Gold before the first bell.”

“Well, I can help you.”

“That’s alright,” she smiled, only feeling slightly guilty for shutting him down. With any luck, Jughead would be in there too. “I’ll catch up with you guys at lunch, okay?”

Betty hurried through the throngs of people, quickly darting inside the office door. The room was empty, so she quickly went to taking down everything she had pinned on her board and stuffing it into a few spare boxes. She didn’t really believe anyone would break into the school just to see where she stood on the case, but Jughead didn’t seem to be playing around when he told her to hide it. It was a small price to pay to keep serpent Jughead off her back.  Just as she was beginning to fill the first box, she heard the door open.

“Wow, you actually did what I told you to. Surprising.” She shot a look over her shoulder, unable to stop the grin on her face when she saw Jughead’s smirk. He came to stand by her, lifting the box and setting it on the desk.

“I do that on occasion.”

“Well, keep up the good work Cooper. You want help getting all this home later?”

“Probably,” she answered, taking a step closer to him. “You don’t mind?”

He shook his head, not looking at her as he shifted through the box. “Nah. How are things, by the way? At home?”

“Well, the pregnant sister is still missing and now my parents have run off to track her down,” Betty sighed, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “So, in short, I don’t know.”

“Fair enough.” Jughead looked around the room, spying the few open notebooks and folders still sitting out. “Make sure you grab those too.”

“Yes sir.” She faked a low voice, that Jughead rolled his eyes to. “I mean, is this really that big of a deal? Are the Ghoulies really going to find me in a dark alleyway or something if they find out I’m trying to solve Jason’s murder?”

“Yes, Betty.” He gave her a hard look. “ _If_ they really killed him, they’re going to make sure no one finds out. They aren’t like the serpents. They won’t care if they have to hack down a cheerleader to keep their secret.”

“Oh, so the serpents are the good guys?”

“We’re the lesser of two evils.”

She could have retorted with a smart ass remark, but decided against it. Instead she lowered her voice to ask about what happened that weekend. “Do you think it was them in the woods? The Ghoulies? If they followed us, then they would already know I’m working on the case.”

“I don’t know who that was,” he sighed, agitated at the thought that someone got by them. If it was the Ghoulies, he would already know about it. “Hopefully, they’ll just leave you alone.”

“If not, I’ll just have to put my snake signal to good use,” she teased, flashing him a grin. “What does that make you? My knight in shining snake skin?”

“Watch it, Betts.”

***

Jughead knew exactly what she was doing. He wasn’t stupid. Every time she bent over to retrieve a stray paper or reached on her toes to take a folder off the shelf, he saw the little wiggle she would make. Each time the fabric of her skirt would ride up on her thighs, revealing an impossible amount of the pale skin underneath. It should have been illegal for skirts to be that short. Wondering why the hell the school didn’t feel the need to enforce any dress codes, Jughead shamelessly ogled her fit, pale legs. He knew she was doing it on purpose, because each time her eyes would flutter to him to make sure he was watching.

He was every time.

He felt disgusting. Jughead was no better than the jocks that seemed to never stop thinking with their dicks. It was unfair that she had to be so attractive. It would have been easier to ignore her little game if he didn’t already know what it was like to feel her flushed against him, whimpering as he bite on her neck. God, he had wanted her _bad_. He still did and Betty evidently knew it. He refused to give in though. He meant what he’d said. While Jughead was leading the serpents, there was no room for Betty to get in deeper into his life.

It still didn’t stop from him from looking. Numerous times. There was the moment after third period, when Sweet Pea was trying to tell him _something_ , and he had to slightly lean past him to watch Betty pick a pen off the floor. And again, when she was ducking into her biology lab, she gave a skip, causing her hem to jump higher.

Whatever game Betty was trying to play to play him, he was losing. Badly.

***

Betty picked at her sandwich, listening while Veronica animatedly described what she wanted to wear to the dance that coming Saturday. Personally, Betty hadn’t given the dance much thought. There had been other pressing matters on her mind. Now, she found herself looking forward to it. Hopefully, it would be the fun and relaxation she desperately needed.

“Ugh, swoon. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that leather.” The change in conversation made Betty’s head snap around. Sure enough, a group of serpents had settled across the yard. Betty noticed Jughead was determinedly not looking her way. Smirking, she went back to her food. Veronica clutched her heart dramatically. “Please lord, send a drop-dead gorgeous gang member my way. It’s not fair that Betty has one and I don’t. Amen.” Betty threw an apple slice at her, laughing. “What? It’s true!”

“She doesn’t have a gang member,” Archie argued. “It’s only Jughead.”

“Right,” Kevin sighed, looking wistfully over her shoulder. “ _Only_ the most attractive gang leader to walk through Riverdale High’s doors. Also, the only, but whatever.”

“You two are the worst,” Betty playfully rolled her eyes, looking again across the grassy square. Maybe it was her imagination, but the three, unkept southsiders on the opposite side seemed to be giving the serpents too much attention. Suddenly, Jughead locked eyes with her and she looked back to the table. “I just like spending time with him.”

Veronica subtly gave her a look, but said nothing to out her. “I suppose we’ll just have to learn how to share our Betty, won’t we Arch?”

“Why are we sharing, Betty?”

The voice came from above her, making her jump. A leather clad arm snuck over her shoulder, grabbing one of her apple slices before Jughead plopped on the bench beside her.

“Just stating we may need to write up some sort of custody agreement,” Veronica replied cheerfully, “since you like stealing her away from us so often.”

“I don’t share well,” he joked, before turning his attention to Archie. “Hey, man. Big game Friday?”

Betty wasn’t quite sure what was happening as her as the conversations about the game and dance around her started again, but she wasn’t complaining. Jughead sliding easily into her group of friends was something she didn’t think was possible a week ago. Veronica herself had made it quite clear how much she hated them, and now she was trying relentlessly to get Betty in bed with one.

“I may need some help, later,” Jughead told Archie after a couple minutes of pointless high school gossip. “Gotta lug some boxes back to Betty’s. Wanna lend us some of your football strength?”

“Yeah, no problem.”

Betty waited until Archie’s attention was taken by Veronica and Kevin, before leaning towards her serpent. “What was that about?”

“You’re the one who wanted us to be friends again.” He stole another apple slice. “Just making an effort here, Betts.”

She didn’t have time to respond. A voice boomed across the grass. “Cooper! Jones!” Principal Weatherby was staring at them, mouth in a deep frown. Sheriff Keller was beside him. “My office. Now.”

***

Betty picked at a loose strand in her sweater, trying to even out her breathing as Weatherby slammed the door behind them. Jughead’s foot was repeatedly bouncing against the floor. She didn’t miss that the Sheriff was hardly looking at her. His eyes were glaring down on her companion.

“Let me just start by letting you kids know you aren’t in trouble,” he started slowly, leaning on the principal’s desk. “But we checked out that car you reported Saturday night.”

“Did it help you find Polly?” she blurted. “My parents just left this morning to look for her.”

“No, Betty. It’s not that,” he replied. “The car isn’t there anymore.” Her jaw dropped. For a moment, her panicked glance went to Jughead. His forehead crinkled, but he kept silent. “Well, in truth it’s still there, but someone decided to torch it before we arrived. That was about thirty minutes after your call.”

“Were you able to find anything?” she pressed. “Anything about where they could have been going?”

“We didn’t get much. Both of your fingerprints were everywhere, but that’s understandable. Jason’s too. The packets of marijuana were lost and everything else he had stashed. Now, what I want to know, is why did Jason Blossom have a car full of drugs? And why did someone decide to set it on fire?”

“I don’t know,” Betty answered truthfully. “We think someone followed us, but that’s all we know.”

Jughead nodded, agreeing with her statement. “We’re just as clueless as you are Sheriff. We were just going off what Betty’s sister told her.”

“Mhm.” Kevin’s dad looked between them for a moment, but motioning to the door. “Go on now. Stay close in case I need something. And you be careful. You hear me?”

Betty smiled innocently, while Jughead nodded again. Together, they went into the empty hallway. Betty looked behind them, to make sure they weren't being watched before heading in the direction of their place of solitude. Jughead followed. Her own mind was reeling, trying to process the new information, and imagined Jughead's was doing the same. Once in the office of the Blue and Gold he'd latched the door behind them, Betty practically exploded.

 “Someone set it on fire!” she exclaimed, spinning in a circle as he shut the door behind them. “That’s just perfect. The only solid bit of evidence we had except for Jason’s corpse is now gone. Who would do that? Did the Ghoulies do it? Jug, you have to start letting me in on all this.”

“I _can’t_. It’s-“

“Serpent rules,” she finished for him, rubbing her hands down her face. “Yeah, I know. There were drugs in the car, though! That’s serious. Is that what all of this is about?” Betty thought back over what the Sheriff told them, her mind going blank. She lowered her hands, clenching her jaw as she gazed at Jughead. He saw her change. His shoulders tightened, and his brow furrowed as he watched her. “Hang on. Kevin’s dad said both our fingerprints were there. You didn’t touch anything. You knocked it out of my hand.” Jughead said nothing. Betty took a step towards him, nails threatening to bite into her palm. “Jughead, did you give Jason those drugs?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is always so excited for smut! Next chapter lovelies ;)

The tip of Jughead’s knife dug into the worn wood of the bar. He pulled it out, only to toss it back down again. And again. And again. It had been a solid day of silence. Every time he thought about her face, how it twisted in a disgusted scowl, a deep pain seared through his chest. It was a perfect reflection of how someone  _should_ act, being faced with the truth of his lifestyle. The knowledge that it was him, and him alone, that had been responsible for her look of loathing made him nauseous.  He hadn’t answered her accusation. His mouth had opened and closed, no words forming because he didn’t know _how_ to tell her what he was going on, mainly because he technically wasn’t even allowed to. His silence had evidently been enough for her. Betty had stormed away from him, the sound of the door slamming racking through his bones like nothing ever had. Jughead should have gone to her, spilled every secret and confessed all his crimes like he knew she was so desperate for him to do.

Instead, he did absolutely nothing.

He let her leave, said nothing to the heated looks she threw him down hallway, and did his best to ignore her when she stomped by him on her way to a class. Archie kept his word, helping him with the boxes while Betty was thankfully at her cheerleading practice. The conversation had been slow, drifting to sports and upcoming homework assignments more anything. The friendship wasn’t fully back. At least, nowhere where it needed to be for him to talk to the redhead about Betty.

That was what lead him to his current position, hunched over the bar he considered a home, wondering when he let her claw so deep inside of him.

“I get that you run this place and all, but you better stop gauging out pieces of my bar. It’s already a piece of shit. I don’t need you making it worse.” Toni slammed a hand down in front of him, ignoring the heated look he gave her. “Don’t you have work you can do? Keep yourself busy?”

“Mustang and Tall Boy are delivering the next order,” he replied dully. “Sweet Pea and Fangs are scouting out the northside. There’s nothing for me to do.”

“Except to brood over my bar and scare away any paying customers,” she snapped. “I don’t get your problem. Our troubles are over. The Ghoulies didn’t steal the drugs from that kid like we thought. He was killed before the delivery. Simple. Now go run off with blondie for a few hours. You’re always in a way better mood after seeing her.”

“It’s not that easy.” Jughead considered escaping to his apartment, but he knew it would be worse up there. The quiet would only let his guilt-ridden thoughts get louder. “I don’t know if you noticed, she’s not exactly speaking to me.”

“Yeah, I got that. It’s a little hard to ignore you pinning after her while she glares at you from down the hallway.” Another look of intimidation, that again didn’t phase her. “Stop baring your teeth, Jones. I like the girl. Seems like she has spunk. And you aren’t as much of an asshole when she’s around.”

“You’re the one who slammed her into a dumpster,” he snorted. “Besides, like I said, it doesn’t matter. She’s pissed because of the drugs, because I can’t tell her anything…it can’t be fixed.”

“You know it can. There’s always the dance-.”

“That’s _not_ an option,” he growled, hands tightening into a dangerous fist, real anger starting to flare. The idea of Betty doing _that_ , in a bar full of men who would stare and whose imaginations would start to drift had him practically shaking. “I don’t care how much she begs about wanting to be involved. She’s not getting on that pole.”

***

Betty did not speak to him. Not for the rest of the school day when she would catch glimpses of him in the halls and not even that evening, when alone in her room, contemplating when her life became such a mess, she received a single text message ‘ _Can we talk?’_ It had been hours before that when she stalked from the office of the Blue and Gold, her confronting question unanswered. It was childish. She knew it was, but she also didn’t care. Jughead had just looked at her when she’d asked. She could almost _see_ the inner turmoil; the voices in his head yelling back and forth at how much he should tell her. The pained expression that followed told her enough. _Betty wasn’t allowed to know._ It was obvious, of course, that the answer was a solid yes. The serpents, particularly Jughead, had dealt Jason the drugs. Everything else would be forced to remain a mystery to her.

She tossed and turned all night, unable to find sleep in her heated state. She couldn’t even quite explain _why_ she was so mad. Betty knew from day one Jughead was part of a gang; an actual, full fledge didn’t-do-admirable-things gang. It hadn’t bothered her because he was still Jughead. It was either the realization that her friend was a real criminal that had her so wound up, or the simple fact she couldn’t know more about the case she’d put so much of her time into, that had her so upset. Betty assumed the latter.

She successfully avoided him the next day as well. Betty kept close to Veronica and Archie, never venturing alone or leaving their sides to allow him time to slip in and speak to her. She caught him looking at her though; much like the day before. However, instead of fluttering her lashes, hoping she was making his mouth go dry with want, she glared before whipping her head another direction.

“Betty, you know I support you forever and always in your endeavors, but is there a particular reason we’re being icy to our scaled friend today?”

“Because I’m tired being kept in the dark,” she replied matter-of-factly to Veronica, tightening her ponytail in the mirror that hung from her gym locker. A few beads of sweat were still scattered across her forehead. Vixen practice had been particularly draining that day. Cheryl was evidently determined to insult them into the ground before the game of Friday. “I cannot even describe how frustrating it is, to be with someone and feeling like maybe you can have something more, but half the time they can’t even tell you what they’re doing.”

“I know, B,” Veronica soothed, rubbing her hands down Betty’s tense arms. “Just deep breaths, alright? Maybe things can still work between you two. Even if you just have to stay friends.”

“No, it can’t,” Betty sighed, slamming the door shut and grabbing her bag. She was eager to get home; to sink into her covers and forget about everything that was Jughead Jones. She was over guessing what he did, how the Serpents worked. It would be easiest to cut it off now, before her small attraction grew into something untamable and dangerous. Together, the pair walked out of the double doors and into the unlit hallway. “If he wants secrets, he can have them. I’m not fighting anymore to be in the know.”

“I think I can help with that.”

Betty almost toppled over from fear. Both girls spun around, arms clutching each other’s and ragged breaths escaping their lips. One of Jughead’s friends, the small girl with the pink hair and a stunning face, was leaning against the far wall, watching them both carefully. When the panic subsided, annoyance took its place. It wasn’t long ago her arm had been braced against Betty’s chest, shoving her back into a hunk of metal.

“What do you want?” Betty hoped she sounded intimidating. Unfortunately, she assumed that wasn’t case. Veronica tensed beside her, taking a defiant stand and folding her arms sharply across her chest. At least she had someone with her.

“Calm down, Blondie. I come in peace.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she replied coldly. “Seeing how last time I saw you Jughead had to drag you off me.”

“A small lapse in judgement,” the girl shrugged, pushing away from the wall to stand in front of them. “Listen, I don’t have much time Goldilocks-.”

“Betty.”

“Toni. Seriously, Jones thinks I’m doing something else. If he knew I was telling you this, we’d both be in big trouble.”

“What?” Betty and Veronica shared a look. “Why do you want to help me?”

“Because, my boss is real less pain in the ass after he’s been hanging around you. I’m ready for the annoying brooding to come to an end. Do you want to know about serpent business? Like really be a part of it all?”

Betty paused, her response sounding too desperate. “Yes, of course. I mean, I don’t want to be _in_ the gang. I don’t want to do anything, to anyone. I just want to be able to be trusted.”

“You aren’t the first,” Toni explained. “The serpents are mainly guys. That’s no secret. Lots of girlfriends and wives have wanted to know what their men were up to over the years. They were never real members, but they’re test showed the group they’re a team player; that they could be trusted to be in the know. If you want, you can do it too.”

“Definitely!” Betty exclaimed, unbelieving what she was hearing. It was too good to be true. The secrets would end. Together, she and Jughead could figure out their crazy lives together with nothing standing between them. Their friendship could continue, and God willing, something more. “Why didn’t he say anything about this? Jug said I couldn’t know without being a serpent.”

“Because, what you have to do is just about the sexist thing ever invented,” Toni grumbled, flinging her vibrant hair over her shoulder. “But it’ll give you what you want.”

“Jughead can’t stop it? Even if he’s in charge?”

“He could, if he knew about it. That’s what you need to keep it a secret until it happens. Once you do it, there’s no turning back unless you do something against us.”

Betty nodded, looking to Veronica for confirmation. A part of her waited for her best friend to advise her against whatever this test was, to tell her it wasn’t smart to get roped into a gang just over a guy and some case for her high school paper. Instead, Veronica flashed her a mischievous grin. Betty retuned it, before giving Toni her attention again. “Alright, what do I have to do?”

***

The anger was gone. Betty was filled with something new, some foreign feeling that she couldn’t quite place. She recognized it, though. She had felt it in the pit of her stomach when Jughead thrusted her against his kitchen counter. And now, anticipating what she would be doing this coming weekend, the freedom it would give both her and her favorite serpent, was almost intoxicating. She would follow Toni’s instructions; make up with Jughead, allow him some small, piece of mind that everything was okay between them, and then hide her true intentions. Veronica was beyond supportive, promising her blonde friend that she would help her pick an outfit for such an occasion. It was an odd sort of relief, to feel as though everything was happily falling into place and she suddenly the craved the attention she had been selfishly ignoring the passed two days.

Betty walked home alone, feet crunching on the fallen leaves and arms slightly shivering in the damp air. Dark clouds rolled ahead of her, increasing her wish to be home with a good movie. If anything beat her fear of the dark, it would be thunderstorms. She waited until she was closer to home, before pulling out her phone and dialing. It didn’t take Jughead long. It was barely on the second ring, before his low voice came over the line.

“ _Betty, holy shit. I’ve been-.”_

“Wait,” she interrupted him, the lie she was about to feed him teasing on the edge of her lips. There was no guilt, like she imagined there would be. It wouldn’t be a lie forever; just until the weekend. Besides, it would make everything so much easier. “I want to talk first.”

_“Yeah, of course.”_

She breathed deeply, eyeing the storm clouds that loomed above her as she walked. “I shouldn’t have run out on you. I know what you do, and I accept that. I really do. It was just surprising, being faced with it. And then, not knowing anything more-.”

_“Betty, I’m so sorry-.”_

“No, listen. You were upfront with me from the beginning. You told me I couldn’t know, and I still stuck around. So, that’s on me. I’m the one who’s sorry.

_“You should be pissed, though.”_

“I was,” she answered, rounding a corner in the quiet neighborhood. “Really pissed, but being your friend means more to me than being in on the serpents. So, just accept my apology already so I can make it up to you.”

“ _Sure.”_ She could almost hear the grin. A clash of thunder rolled above her. Betty jumped, quickening her pace. _“Are you home?”_

“Not quite. I had River Vixen practice,” she replied, turning onto the sidewalk leading up to her house. Still no sign of her parents, thankfully. She would have another night alone. “But I was thinking, given the fact we are no longer mad at eachother-.”

“ _You mean, that you’re no longer mad at me.”_

“Shush,” she chastised, a few raindrops fell and she darted quickly onto the porch, digging for her keys. “I was thinking we could do pizza and a movie tonight? I am in desperate need of ignoring my responsibilities for an afternoon and I know for a fact you can’t turn down free food.”

_“You drive a hard bargain, Cooper. I’ll be there soon. I was already on the northside.”_

“Perfect, I’ll just order-.” Her voice drifted to a stop. Keys in hand, moving to the lock, she saw it broken, the wooden door already open an inch. The piece of metal was twisted at an odd angle, splintering on the edges. Slowly, pushing her fingertips against the cool wood, she saw the coat stand tipped over.

Her heartbeat froze.

_“Betts? You alright?”_

“Jug,” she whispered, fingers tightening on the phone so hard her knuckles hurt. “I think someone is in my house.”

For a split second, there was silence on the other end. The only sound was the rain beginning to fall harder against the roof and her breathing growing louder. _“Betty, wait for me.”_ His voice was harsh, cutting through her panic. She ignored him, pushing the door open more. There was no movement, the lights dark just as she left. “ _Betty, I swear to God, if you go in that house-.”_

She hung up the phone, sticking in her back pocket before stepping fully into her home. There was another clash of thunder, causing her to grip her chest, watching the corners of their large downstairs to see if anyone was moving silently in the shadows. She moved from the door to the dining room, trying to spot anything else out of place. Quieter than she thought possible, she dropped her bag to the floor, peaking into the kitchen. Again, nothing was touched.

A creak came from upstairs and her blood ran cold. Was it the house, swaying in the power of the increasing storm outside or someone hiding? She paused, unsure of where to go. Maybe they were long gone, the sounds only a part of her imagination. Or perhaps, whoever it was, was upstairs, not knowing that she had come home. Adrenaline pumped through her, shaking her hand as she stood frozen, still trying to decide if she should turn and face the intruder or stay there in the kitchen-.

She screamed into the hand that clutched her mouth. An arm snatched around her middle, trapping her arms to her side as something warm pressed against. It only took her a second to realize the arm encasing her was familiar, rain drenched leather, but it didn’t stop her chest from heaving.

“What did I say?” Jughead hissed into her ear, before slowly moving his fingers away from her mouth. Betty still clutched his arm, mainly out of fear than anything else. He continued to whisper harshly. “Did you go upstairs?”

“No,” she whimpered. “I heard something though.” And just like that, he was gone, the small bit of warmth disappearing before she could pull him back. “Jug, no!”

He stalked up the stairs and she followed, taking the steps two at a time just to keep up. He slammed open the door of every room, checking every corner and each closet that her house held. There was nothing. It wasn’t until he opened the last, her very own pastel haven, that she saw his sharp intake of breath and she cautiously crept closer. “Let me guess. You hid your case notes under your bed?”

“How did you know?” Peaking under his arm, she suddenly knew. Every drawer of her dresser and nightstand were open, the contents scrambled and messy. The boxes on the floor of her closet were open, gone through and disordered. All the things she stored under her bed were scattered on the floor, pulled out of the way for the large boxes he and Archie had delivered to be removed; the boxes she didn’t see any sign of. “ _Jug_ -.”

“Who knew it was here, Betty?” he didn’t glare at her, but it was close. His heated stare shot to her and she gulped. “Where did you talk about it?”

“I hardly talked about it all. My friends knew,” she confessed. “And my parents, but I swear I didn’t mention it to anyone else. Is that what all this was for? Someone really broke into my house for them.”

“I don’t know. Are your parents still gone?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Good.” He turned, clutching her hand and leading her down the hallway. “I don’t want you staying here tonight. We can go back to my place until I know you won’t be here alone.”

“No! I can’t leave!” She tugged against him. He didn’t release her hand, but it did make him stop and turn. His beanie was askew, damp from the rain. It only highlighted the piercing blue of his eyes. “I’m supposed to be here in case Polly comes back. I can’t let her come home to an empty house.”

“Betty,” he snarled, tugging her closer. “Someone broke into your house. If you think, I’m letting you stay here alone-.”

“Stay with me,” she pleaded, moving her hands to clutch the front of his serpent jacket. She was close enough to smell a mixture of leather and smoke. She was insane, to be taking notice of the small physicalities she could admire up close, because she should have terrified of the break in. It was too difficult to be worried with Jughead standing in front of her. So, Betty let herself selfishly drink in the raven hair sticking to his forehead and hard lines of his jaw that moved against her neck not too long ago. “Stay and I won’t be alone.”

For a split moment, she thought he might deny her, sensing her motives were exactly what he warned her against. His breath fanned her face, a stray hand moving to gently hold the curve in her hip. Her favorite smirk appeared, making her grin in response. “Okay, Betts. I’ll stay.”

The afternoon passed with ease. Betty spent most of it cleaning her room, restoring it and the downstairs back to order while Jughead spoke in heated whispers to his friends on the phone. The storm continued to rage outside, causing her to jump and clench her hands every time it rumbled over the house. If she were being honest, she was more afraid of the storm than the unknown intruder.

Just as she was shoving the last box in her closet, Jughead leaned against her doorway, serpent jacket discarded. “You’re handling this surprisingly well.”

“Yeah, well, watch me have nightmares tonight,” she grumbled, rising to her feet. “Is everything okay with your friends?”

“I told them what happened,” he answered gruffly. “They’ll keep an ear out for anything, see if they overhear anyone bragging about breaking into a northsiders house.”

She nodded, twisting her hands around her back. “Are we finally allowed to try and have a normal evening?”

He folded his arms, eyes dancing as he smiled. “And what does that entail?”

An hour later, Betty, in her favorite sleep shorts and shirt, was tucked under a blanket, curled on one side of the couch. Her feet were tucked in Jughead’s lap, his arms stretched over the back of the couch as the movie played on the T.V. before them. He picked it, stating it was a classic everyone should have to watch at some point in their lives. Normally, she wouldn’t have put up too much of a fight, but in the dark house, with the thunder rumbling outside, and the reminder that a stranger had gone through her home, Betty found herself practically hiding under a blanket as an alien hunted people on a spacecraft on the screen.

“Next time, I’m picking the movie," she mumbled into the fabric, flinching as another character met an unfavorable fate. Jughead chuckled, moving a hand down to rest on her feet. “I’m serious, Juggie. Next movie night, it’s my turn.”

“Sure, Betts.” He looked to her, regular smirk gone when her eyes met his. It was something softer and Betty felt her chest melt into warmth at the sight of it. She couldn’t explain what they had, or even if it was real, but now she was certain it was felt on both ends; an unspoken bond. Not everyone would come to her aid like he did, time and time again, or even do what he was doing now; simply providing comfort. The thought that she had almost gone through life with never meeting Jughead Jones again make her heart ache.

Moving on the couch, she twisted herself in a small bout of confidence so that her head was leaning against his chest. Jughead didn’t protest. In fact, he seemed to welcome it, lowering his arm from couch to wrap around her shoulders. It was here Betty found her peace. Nothing could ruin what they shared; not any serpent laws or intruders could ruin their small haven they found there in her living room. Betty wondered if Jughead’s warning still rang true; if they couldn’t do anything besides be good _pals_. When she looked up at him, hoping to admire the features of his face secretly, she found him already watching her.

This time, Jughead Jones did not argue as Betty Cooper’s mouth raised to his own.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has almost not plot. Just some love smutty times. Enjoy :)

She didn’t know what woke her, but Betty flew from sleep with a sharp gasp, fingers knotting into the fabric her face was buried in. She didn’t remember falling asleep. Nothing had happened the night before. Nothing much, anyway. For a few glorious seconds Jughead’s mouth had moved slowly against her own, a secret they could hold there forever in her dark living room. It had ended as quickly and silently as it had started, leaving Betty curled into his side, his arm still strung across her shoulders. The movie continued to flash before them, but she was pretty confident she wasn’t the only one no longer paying attention.

Now, she wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten into her current position. Moving slightly, nuzzling her head against the familiar warmth, Betty realized her face was pressed into Jughead’s stomach. His legs were splayed across the couch now, with herself in between and the blanket over them both. A heavy arm cradled her back and his chest moved slightly, rising and falling with steady breaths.

There was a flash of lightening, momentarily emitting the room in a white glow, before a loud crack of thunder shook the house. Betty tried to bury her face further, enjoying when the hand on her back moved to hair, fingers moving softly over the skin.

“It’s just rain, Betts,” he mumbled in the dark, voice heavy with sleep. It made Betty’s insides twist, emitting a small flame deep in her stomach. She didn’t answer, only tightening her hold on him. The second arm came around and held her close. “Just go back to sleep.”

“Is this even allowed?” she teased, her own voice quiet and lacking the confidence she so desired. “I thought we couldn’t do this stuff.”

“We’re sleeping,” he answered shortly. The hands moving on her back were too distracting. She found herself biting her lip in the dark, imaging them on her bare skin and suddenly, Betty couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. “Nothing wrong with sleeping. Besides, no one can see us.”

“So, you kissing me was okay, because no one could see?”

She felt him move under her, hands slowing at their ministrations and she let out a shaky breath in anticipation. Angling her head, although she could hardly see him in the dark, Betty knew he was watching her. “You kissed me, Cooper.”

“But you didn’t stop me,” she softly argued. Betty drug her fingers down the front of his t-shirt, hearing his breathing growing more uneven. She settled them on the hem, teasing the heated skin underneath with light touches. One of his legs moved, widening the space she had between him and Betty used it to bring herself closer to his face. “Let me get this straight, this is okay, because no one will know about it?”

Her knees pressed into the couch and she moved her hands, bringing them back up to grip the hard muscles tensing in his shoulders. Jughead responded, hands immediately moving from the innocent spot on her back to the back of her bare thighs. Betty gasped at the sudden contact so close to where her core was beginning to burn. His answer was simple, only stirring the fire that was growing between them. “Yes.”

It was the confirmation she needed. Moving closer, Betty did not hesitate to kiss him this time. His mouth was warm and inviting, moving in perfect sync with her own as his tongue swept past her lips. There was a rawness to it, an explosion of something that wasn’t there before, built up so much that neither could contain letting it lose. There was no softness to this union and Betty found herself holding back a moan as he bit her bottom lip, while simultaneously yanking on her thighs, moving her to straddle his lap. Hands were everywhere; her own ripping the beanie off his head, tangling into his hair while his mouth descended on her neck and Jughead’s, burning through her clothes as he pushed her hips to grind into his own. His fingertips dug so painfully into her, she knew there would be bruises in the morning.

“Jug?” she gasped as his mouth bit into where her neck and shoulder met. He did not stop his attack on her skin, only making a deep sound in the back of his throat to show he was listening. Betty tightened her grip on his hair. “Are we really doing this?”

“Whatever you want, baby.” The words were kissed onto the skin of her chest and Betty let out a sigh, pushing her hips closer to his. “I can’t tell you no anymore.”

“I tried to get you to notice me at school,” she breathed, tilting back her head to give him better access. The straps of her tank top fell off her shoulders. “Before I was mad at you.”

“I know.” It was a growl, sending sparks down to where her body was pressed into his. Betty moved her hips again, seeking any friction she could find. Jughead bit down harder.

“I just wanted you to want me.” His hands changed course, guiding her hips to rock against his, perfectly aligning with the growing bulge in his jeans. Betty couldn’t hold in her moan at the contact, relishing the small amount of relief it gave her center. “ _Juggie_.”

“ _Jesus,_ Betty.” It was difficult to concentrate on what he was breathing into her chest. Jughead’s jeans were rubbing against her just right and it held just about every ounce of her focus. “I’ve always wanted you. I’m just trying to do the right thing- _holy fuck.”_  She rolled her hips sharply, earning both of them a loud moan as Jughead thrusted up towards her. His lips ghosted over the tops of her cloth-covered breasts and she shivered, holding his head there.

“The right thing is for us to be together,” Betty breathed into the dark. One his hands grew braver, darting under her shirt to splay onto her ribs, brushing against one of her breasts. “Oh, Jug please touch me.”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. A callused thumb rolled over her nipple, instantly causing it to pebble under his touch. A spark of electricity tightened the coil in her center and Betty used her hold on his hair to tug his attention back to her mouth. Jughead kissed her deeply, swallowing her sighs and gasps as he continued to shamelessly grope her chest. It wasn’t until the small thrusts of her hips grew harder and her fingers were digging painfully into his scalp that he pulled back, trying to see her expression in the dark. “You tell me if you want to stop, Betts. We can do whatever you want.”

“I don’t want to do-,” she struggled to find the correct word, her mouth falling open as he kissed just above her cleavage. “-everything. Not now. Just _please_ keep kissing me.”

“Where?” Just the sound of his voice was making her soaked. Betty was thankful the dark was hiding her features, because she was sure her face was a deep scarlet as she guided his face back into her chest. Jughead took the hint, pausing just long enough to pull the garment over her head. There was no bra, since she had already changed for bed. Betty felt herself blush even more. “I can’t believe I have a topless Betty Cooper in front of me and I can barely see her.”

Her laugh was interrupted by a moan as his mouth suddenly attacked one breast while the other was cupped in his hand. Betty couldn’t control her hips anymore. The coil deep in her stomach was tightening, growing hotter, with the combination of the ministrations on her chest and the thrusts of Jughead’s hips below her. It was almost too much. Betty didn’t know what she needed, but she could feel that _something_ was growing closer.

“Jug,” she whined, embarrassed at how pathetic it sounded. “I think-oh, Juggie I’m going to-.”

“Oh shit, Betts, are you going to come?” he growled into her chest, pushing her closer to the edge. His thrusts grew longer, more deliberate to help her find her end. Her small gasps of pleasure grew higher in pitch. It was particularly hard thrust of Jughead’s that had the hot spring inside her snapping. Just as her mouth fell, mind growing blank as a wave of pleasure rocked her bottom half, Jughead locked his mouth onto her, swallowing every noise she made.

Betty came down from her high slowly, leaning into Jughead’s touch and allowing him to lower her back onto his chest. Tucking her head under his chin, her eyes fluttered closed while her she struggled to control her labored breaths. The realization she was topless, and the fact she’d just rubbed herself relentlessly on Jughead’s crotch, was sinking in. Sucking in bottom lip in embarrassment, her face burned. Suddenly, she didn’t think she could look him in the face.

A hand moved down her hair, dancing over the exposed skin of her back while the other rested above her pant line. “You okay, Betts?”

“A little mortified,” she confessed, mumbling into his shirt. A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“What? Dry fuck me until you came?” he laughed, lips ghosting the top of her head. Betty groaned in embarrassment. “I liked it.”

“You didn’t even finish.” Betty reached behind, pulling the blanket back over their sweaty bodies. Most likely from her orgasm, and the incredibly early hours of the morning, tiredness was washing over her. “If you want, I could-.”

“No, it’s fine, Betty. Go back to sleep,” he interrupted. There a clash of thunder and he tightened his arms around her. Oddly, she’d forgotten about the storm while she’d been in his lap. “However, if you want to wake me back to do that again, I won’t stop you.”

“Can we do that again?” she asked quietly, unknowing if she wanted to know the answer. “You told me we couldn’t be together. Maybe we could just keep _us_ a secret?”

“Is that what you want?” he countered. “A relationship you have to hide because you could get hurt?”

“Yes.” Betty said the word as confidently as she could. There was a sigh from above her, both hands resting now on her heated skin. “I want you.”

It was the truth. So much of a truth she didn’t even know how to describe it, but it was a wanting she could feel engraved deep in her bones; one Betty knew she wouldn’t be able to shake easily. Jughead never answered her; not verbally, anyway. Softly, enough so that she hardly felt it, she felt his lips press into her hair, before they both drifted back to sleep.

***

The first thing Jughead was aware of was warmth. The small body curved on top of him had provided him with the best night of sleep he’d gotten in years and that was saying something considering he spent it sprawled out on a couch. Secondly, before he even opened his eyes to face the harsh rays of sun cascading through the room, he became all to aware that Betty was still very much topless.

The memories hit Jughead like a rock; the way his name came out her mouth like a plea, her _very_ thin sleep shorts rubbing against him, and the breathy moans that endlessly came from them both. It was like some twisted dream. If he had told himself just two weeks before that he would have been getting Betty Cooper off in her own living, he would have thought it was some sick joke.

Looking down, he tried to move slowly as to not wake her. Her ponytail was long gone. Blonde hair splayed across his chest, hiding her face. The blanket over top them went up to her neck, successfully covering her bare back, which he found only slightly annoying. Her request still hung over him. _I want you._ God, and he wanted her. Four years of living on the southside had denied Jughead of certain luxuries, but it wasn’t until he moved back that he realized Betty Cooper was one of them. Everything was a mess now. The Ghoulies and that stupid Blossom kid were too much a part of their lives for things to be easy, but he didn’t think he could ever pass up the opportunity to be in the position he was in right at that moment. Jughead couldn’t deny Betty anymore. That much was clear.

It was like she could hear him thinking. She shifted on his lap, letting out a small sigh as she moved her head against him, just in the early stage of waking up. He wondered if she realized where she was, if she would feel any sort of regret about her midnight attack the night before. That didn’t seem to be the case. Betty raised her head slightly, just enough for her squinting eyes to reach him and she smiled sleepily.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” he answered. She made no movement to detangle herself from him, so he didn’t either. Instead, he moved his head back to cushion, and simply looked at her. “Sleep okay?”

She nodded. A soft, pink blush crept up her cheeks and he couldn’t help but a feel a swell pride at the memory of the noises she had made the night before. Betty seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she quickly sucked in her lip before ducking her head against him.

He was about to make a smartass comment, eager to see her flustered against him, but they both froze as a new sound reached their ears. It was talking; happy voices, chatting animatedly could be heard through the front door and they were getting louder. Betty’s eyes snapped to his, wide in terror.

“What time is it?” she hissed, shooting up and yanking the blanket to cover herself. Jughead followed suit, looking frantically around for her shirt or his jacket. _Anything_ to hide her half-naked body from her friends.

“I don’t know,” he admitted hotly, falling to the ground and looking under the couch. Shit, how far had he thrown the thing?

“Stall them!” Betty’s plea was half laced with fear, while he was pretty sure the other was aggravation. Jughead leapt into action, hopping over the couch and racing to the front door just as it began to open. He could hear Betty running behind him, rounding up the stairs just as he stopped the door from opening more than a few inches. Jughead tried to look casual as he leaned against the doorway, foot propped up as a door stop and he met the surprised looks from Veronica, Archie, and Kevin. Whatever they had been talking about it seemed forgotten now as they all took in the sight before them.

“Hey guys,” he greeted. “What’s going on?”

Jughead wasn’t sure what was worse. It was either the sight of Veronica’s mouth instantly upturning into a wide grin, eyes flashing bright wickedly, or it was Archie’s hard glare, mouth going into a hard, straight line. It was Kevin who spoke though, seemingly confused on what reaction he was supposed to have.

“Hey, Jughead,” he greeted slowly, glancing at his two companions. Veronica was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet now. “Is Betty around?”

“Yeah, she’s finishing getting ready.” He kept the door held with his foot, praying Betty would hurry. “Thought I would give her a ride to school.”

“Oh, okay,” Veronica nodded animatedly, and his stomach dropped. “When did you get here.”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“That’s funny,” she commented. Jughead knew instantly he wouldn’t find her comment funny at all. “Because I got to Archie’s about twenty minutes ago and your truck was already out here. Isn’t that the shirt you wore to school yesterday?”

“Betty!” he shouted over his shoulder, ignoring the smug look on the girl’s face. “You wanna hurry up?”

“Coming, coming!” She was fast. She’d already thrown on a pair of jeans and sweater. He noticed her hair was still a mess, but she was hastily throwing it into a ponytail as she hopped down the stairs. Jughead opened the door wider, finally allowing her friends full view of the house. “Sorry. I slept in a bit.”

“You never sleep in,” Archie commented, eyes still hard. Jughead returned the look.

“Well, I did today.” There was a chip to the end of Betty’s sentence and Jughead almost snorted. “You guys ready for school?”

There was a chorus of replies and Jughead went to follow them, but Veronica stopped him in his tracks. The others paused, watching. “Jughead?”

“What?”

“Random question, but I noticed you never take that beanie off. Ever. Is that correct?”

Betty’s widened in horror, but he had no idea why. His brow furrowing, he looked down at the brunette. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, it’s off.” She gave a small little wave, before bouncing down the front steps. He watched, frozen, as she grabbed Betty’s arm and squealed. “His bed head is cute!”

Jughead didn’t think he’d ever blushed so hard in his entire life. Kevin followed the girls, his own curious grin growing and Jughead knew this wouldn’t be the end of Veronica’s invasive questions. He waited until Archie finally stopped glaring, following solemnly after his friends, before going back inside the Cooper house to retrieve the beanie Betty had thrown aside in the middle of the night.

***

“Veronica, I think you’re missing the point. Someone broke into my _bedroom_ , just to steal my notes.”

“I think _you_ are missing the point, Betty Cooper.” Veronica jabbed at Betty with her lipstick while she spoke. “You obviously had sex last night and I have yet to receive the play-by-play.”

“I didn’t sleep with him,” she rolled her eyes, dabbing concealer onto the multiple hickeys that scattered her neck. She was going to have to talk Jughead about that later. “We just…fooled around. By the way Archie, I’m going to tell my parents I lost my key and you had to break in. Otherwise, they’ll flip over the broken lock.”

“Do not change the topic!” Veronica nearly screeched, snapping the lid on her lipstick. “What exactly is fooling around?”

“Yeah,” Kevin interjected, shoving himself in between the two girls on the couch. The lounge was nearly empty, for which Betty was grateful. She didn’t need anyone else to know about herself and Jughead. “Are we talking making out? Second base? Third base? Is he a _giver,_ Betty? Oh God, please say he’s a giver.”

“Guys, are we really asking Betty to divulge her sex life?” Archie asked from the armchair, twisting his hands as he spoke. Betty gave him a soft smile.

“Yes.” Veronica and Kevin answered at the same time.

The first bell rang. Together, they all left, destined to go to their own classes. From down the hallway, she saw him. Jughead was with his friends, beanie atop his head and jacket on his shoulders. She admired him from afar, taking in the attractive, hard lines of his face and the suspenders that hung down from his waist. He must have felt her looking, because it was only a few seconds later that his eyes locked with hers. She flushed, raising a hand in greeting. Half his mouth turned up, doing the same.

She clutched Veronica and Kevin to either side of her, sighing deeply as she continued to shamelessly ogle her serpent. “Full disclosure, he’s definitely a giver.”

Betty was pretty sure their squeals of delight were heard all the way in Greendale.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter than normal. Sorry!

“I don’t know how to make this anymore clear.” Jughead lit the cigarette hanging from his mouth, the agitation in him growing. Sweet Pea and Tall Boy stood in front of him, a man on his knees in the middle. Underneath his eye was a deep shade of purple and blood dripped steadily from his mouth. The same blood covered Jughead’s knuckles. He took a deep drag of his smoke, before squatting down in front of the Ghoulie member. “I really don’t give a fuck what your boss told you. Northside belongs to the Serpents now. You keep your shit out of our territory.”

“Your territory.” The man grunted. Another glob of red tinged spit fell onto the cement. “You have your half of the southside. We want our half of the northside.”

“Not going to happen. We’ll let your little shithead high schoolers keep going to school, but if I catch any of your drugs or members on this side of Riverdale again, then we’re going to have a major problem.” Jughead dropped the cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his boot before continuing. “Speaking of, before you run off to Malachi and rat on us, you wanna tell me what you know about a northsiders house being broken into?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Right,” Jughead grinned. “Of course, you don’t. We’re done here. Give Malachi my message. No Ghoulies on the northside.”

“Fuck you.”

He sighed. Jughead was tired. All he wanted to do was go home and get some sleep before classes the next day. However, that didn’t stop him from reeling back his fist and letting it collide into the man’s face. He stood, letting Sweet Pea drag the half-unconscious figure off the road. “Mark him. I don’t care where but make it quick.”

Jughead watched, eager for the night to be over, as his friend used his knife to carve a large S into the man’s back.

***

Friday afternoon brought sunshine and a crisp, fall breeze. The last football game of season was the evening and Betty and Veronica were dressed accordingly, tight uniform and short skirts in place. School had let out early and she and her friends were perched at one of the picnic tables. Betty was keeping an eye for Jughead. They hadn’t seen much of each other since their shared night on her parent’s couch. There had only been quick conversations and few sporadic texts. She missed him.

“Anyway, Cheryl said half the school will be there. It’s going to be a huge drunk fest.”

Betty grinned at Veronica explanation of the after game party. Betty’s parents retuned the day before, unsurprisingly Polly-less, and she already told them she’d be spending the weekend at Kevin’s. Veronica had done the same. While it was still another day away, both girls had plans to be at the Whyte Wyrm Saturday evening. Betty, to prove to Jughead she could be a part of his world and Veronica for emotional support. They had a weekend of lies to give their families.

“What is with this school’s dress code?” She smiled, hearing the voice before she saw its owner. Turning on the table top, she found Jughead standing in front her. A wave of black hair was curled beneath his beanie and she craved to run her fingers through it. “Seriously, I don’t get how skirts that short are allowed.”

“It’s all in the name of school spirit,” she teased. “Don’t forget you have to take pictures at the game tonight.”

“Yes ma’m.” His hand went the to the tabletop beside, barely brushing the edge of her uniform. “Can I walk you home afterwards?”

“Are you two still a secret?” Veronica questioned, pausing in her conversation to eye them both carefully. “Because if you are, you are way too far in my girl’s personal space.”

“Good afternoon to you too, Veronica.” Jughead smirked, nodding for Betty to follow him. She hopped from the table, trying to suppress her obvious grin.

Then she saw Kevin. He wasn’t alone. Toni, the one who had given her the secret, came sprinting from the building. Jughead froze, his own smile disappearing.

“Betty!” Kevin saw her, racing across the grass with his pink haired companion close behind him. “Your locker! Hurry!”

“What?” she paused, looking between them. Students leaving the building were looking at Betty. One girl even laughed behind her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“C’mon, Blondie. You too, Jones!” Toni shouted.

Betty was quicker than Jughead, but it was only because she was able to squeeze past the bodies easier. She darted ahead, running back into the school with Kevin beside her. She could hear Veronica and Archie were on her heels as well. A crowd surrounded the group of lockers hers was a part of. As she came to stop, trying to squeeze her way past the students, several people whistled. Heat flooded her cheeks as some unknown girl loudly laughed as she shoved through.

It was a nightmare. Dripping, crimson paint covered her locker, spelling out ‘ _Serpent Slut’_ for everyone to see. A crudely drawn snake was scratched into the metal, but that didn’t even compare to what she noticed next. Suddenly, Betty thought she might vomit. Black and white photos, clearly taken in the middle of the night were taped along the edges. There were dozens of them and Betty and Jughead were at the center of every single one. Taken through her living room window, the angle was perfect for Betty to be seen straddling Jughead’s waist as he laid out on the couch. In a few photos, her face was frozen in clear ecstasy, while others her breasts were hidden, but it was quite obvious she was topless.

Betty didn’t know what was moving her. It was like her mind had gone completely blank as she reached forward to take the photos down. A rough hand grabbed her own, yanking her back. Jughead moved in front of her, jaw clenched tightly as he eyed the crowd behind him, daring anyone to say something.

“Jug, move.” Betty hopelessly tried to move past him, but his grip grew tighter on her forearms. “Jughead, the pictures-.”

“Get them down. _Now_ ,” he growled to someone behind her. Toni, and other serpents she didn’t know, were around them immediately, clearing the crowd and ripping down the photographs. “Betty, get out of here.”

For some reason, she felt the need to scrub her locker; to wipe it off and pretend she imagined the word slut painted across it. “No, the paint-.”

“That’s not paint.” She paled at his words, lips turning in disgust. Bile rose in her throat. “You need to get out of here.”

“They saw,” she gasped, eyes widening. It was all finally starting to sink in; the realization that most of the student body had seen her in such an intimate moment. She was definitely going to vomit. “Oh my God, _everyone_ saw me.” It came out as a chocked sob. Someone grabbed her from behind, steering her from the pointed fingers and invasive eyes. Whoever it was, Jughead let them take her. She could still hear him though, yelling at whoever looked at her the wrong way.

Her feet were moving, but Betty wasn’t exactly sure how. Her thoughts were moving too fast for her to comprehend anything. The body behind her pushed her into the girl’s bathroom just in time for Betty to duck into a stall and deposit her lunch.

“Shh, its okay Betty. Deep breaths, alright?” Veronica. “Try to _breathe_.”

She was sobbing now, tears falling on the tiled floor. Her fingers held so tight onto the edge of the toilet that her knuckles turned white. “Someone was _watching_ us. Everyone saw me!” There was another gag, and she ducked her head again. The idea that such an intimate moment of hers had been watched was making her head spin.

“Jughead will find out who did it. Don’t worry, B. Just breathe.”

She did her best. Every time Betty thought she had it under the control, the mental image of the pictures framing the paint-no, Jughead had said it wasn’t paint-framing the blood written _slut_ made her nauseous all over again. By the time she was able to stand without doubling-over, Kevin had joined them. Veronica yelled at every poor girl who tried to walk in, making sure they were alone.

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked, as she used the run down sink to splash water on her face. It helped a little, allowing to scrub away the trace of her tears. “Whoever did it, only had a bit time. It had to have been done right before the final bell.”

“Can someone go get Jughead?” Her voice was hoarse and there was a sour taste in her mouth. “Please.”

Kevin left immediately, while Veronica held on tightly onto Betty from behind. “Screw them, Betty. Don’t think about it. You and I can go back to my place, and spend the night watching movies and drinking wine-.”

“Veronica, we have the game.”

“Betty,” Veronica moved to stand behind her, a warm hand going to her arm. A crease appeared on her forehead and she slowly shook her head. “You can’t go cheer tonight. No one expects you to be fine right now.”

“I’m not going to go hide,” she sighed. There was another churn in her stomach. “This is my last time cheering at a football game. I can’t let them ruin this for me.”

The bathroom door slammed open. Jughead stalked through, eyes dark and the lines in his face hard. Toni, Archie, and Kevin followed him in, but Betty didn’t give them much attention as Jughead immediately came to her, cupping her chin and boring his eyes into her own.

“Are you okay?” He demanded. She nodded, and he breathed heavily through his nostrils, before constricting her into a tight embrace. Betty took in deep breath, letting the smell of smoke and leather soothe her. “No, you aren’t. Sweet Pea and Fangs are cleaning your locker now and Toni got all the pictures. Let me take you home.”

“No,” she mumbled, into his jacket. “I want to cheer. I’ve been really excited for this game.”

“Betty-.”

“Whoever took those pictures wanted to hurt me, Jug.” She pulled away from him, swallowing deeply and wiping her eyes. “I can’t let them do that. It was _disgusting_ and just thinking about someone watching what we were doing through the window makes me want to-.” She gave a shudder, not really knowing how to describe what it made her feel. It made her want to shower and scrub her body, hide under her covers and never emerge. “If I act like it bothered me, then they win.”

Jughead looked like for a moment he might argue, then decided against it, because he brushed her cheek with his thumb, before answering with a simple. “Okay, then.”

***

Jughead leaned against the chain link fence, watching the crowd with a new distaste. Betty had been adamant on acting like everything was normal; that her half-nude photos of her straddling him hadn’t been up for most of their peers to see. It was a band aid solution. He knew, that once alone and in the quiet, her thoughts would consume her, and she’d have a small moment of weakness. It was expected and Jughead was just waiting for it to happen.

Her maturity towards the situation hadn’t helped him. When Veronica grabbed Betty and shoved her away from the crowd, he had made every guy there know what they could expect if any comment about Betty left their mouths.

“Isn’t taking pictures your job?” Toni commented, angling the camera towards the field. Archie was out there somewhere. He had offered to not play, if Betty wanted to skip out on cheering, but she wanted everyone to just keep pretending. “Not that I mind, just wondering.”

“Tonight, it’s your job.” He snapped, not turning her head away from Betty. She was on the track in between the stands and field. Had it been any other situation, he would have found himself extremely turned on from her small skirt and twirling hips. Tonight though, it took everything to keep his hand from punching through a wall. “Just get a few good ones, so Betty will be happy.”

“Do you want someone to watch her house tonight?” Sweet Pea asked, leaning against the same fence as Jughead. He was watching the girls too. “Or will you be there?”

“She’ll be at a friend’s house,” he answered. “Veronica’s. She should be alright there.”

“You think it was a Ghoulie?”

Jughead snorted. “Maybe. I’m not even sure if they know how to work a camera.” It would make sense. Someone steals Betty’s notes, see’s she’s working on the case, and decides to humiliate her in retaliation. The Ghoulies would make sense, but it could literally be anyone who didn’t want her to get any closer to the truth. “Tomorrow, I’ll have her hang around the bar.”

“Mustang won’t like that.”

“Yeah, well he can come find me if he’s got a problem with it.”

The game was drawing to a close. Jughead wasn’t even sure who was winning. Spectators were already starting to file out of the stands and head towards the parking lot. Jughead and the rest of the serpents were well out of the way, though and he decided to wait until the crowd thinned before trying to track down Betty and Veronica. As it turned out, he didn’t have to go find them after all. Betty’s small groups of friends came to them when the crowd grew small enough for them to walk through. Betty and Veronica in their matching uniforms, flanked by a sweaty football player and the sheriff’s son, all going to meet up with a gang.

Jughead thought it was almost comical.

“But Betty!” Jughead could hear Veronica’s shrill argument before they had even reached them. “We are your friends! I am not doing anything that does not involve complete worship of you tonight.”

“Jesus, Ron. You could try to make it sound less creepy,” Archie commented. ”

“You guys, I don’t care.” Betty wrapped her arm around Jughead’s middle as she answered her friends, giving him a small squeeze in greeting. “Go to the party, get wasted, call me if you need a ride. I don’t want you staying in just because of me.”

“Jughead, would you please tell your annoying ass girlfriend we are not letting her be alone tonight,” Veronica snapped to him, her manicured hands flying to fists at her hips. “It’s rule number one of being best friends. We’re there for each other!”

“And I really appreciate it,” Betty soothed her. “But I won’t be alone. I’ll be with Jughead tonight.”

“You will?” This was news to him. Not that he minded, but last he heard Betty was spending the night hanging out with her friends. Apparently, the pictures from earlier changed that.

“Yeah, is that alright?”

Toni answered before he could. “Of course, it is. I’ll make you whatever drinks you want.”

“Great.” Betty beamed. If Jughead hadn’t known her better, he would almost think it was genuine, but he could see the tightness in her jaw hinting to what was going on inside. “But really, if you guys need a ride later, just call us. I don’t need anything happening to you.”

“Of course, Mom,” Veronica laughed, as they all started across the parking lot. Betty drifted from his side to ask Archie something about the game. He didn’t quite hear about what, because Veronica took Betty’s place, keeping her voice low. “She’s going to crack.”

“I know,” he muttered, back. “I thought she would still want to go to the party, though. She seemed excited about it.”

“You can thank our outstanding male, student body for that one,” Veronica hissed, eyes darkening. “I’m surprised you haven’t been busting jaws all night, to be honest.”

“What are you talking about?” They’d reached their line of bikes, but Betty was still chatting with Archie so Jughead kept close to Veronica. Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs leaned in as well. “Whose jaw should be busting?”

“I don’t know. A lot people’s?” She admitted. “I can’t believe you haven’t heard the comments. Well, I guess you were bit far back. Betty’s been having crap thrown at her all night.”

His fist clenched. “Like what?”

She didn’t have to tell him, though, because they all heard just a second later. Evidently, some genius minor snuck alcohol into the stands. A group of juniors Jughead recognized from a few of his classes, wandered too closely as they loudly looked for their cars. There were five of them, all at least somewhat intoxicated and stupid.  One of them spotted their group and then the whistling started. Onlookers paused to watch.

“Hey guys, look its Betty!”

Both Betty and Archie stopped their conversation. The small smile she had dropped, and her terrified gaze went to Jughead.

“Betty! Do you ride football players now too, or just serpents?”

There was chorus of laughing. Jughead took off his beanie, shoving it in his pocket while he took a deep breath. He looked behind him. Archie looked just as murderous as felt. Good. He would need that anger in just a minute.

“I’ll hire a photographer if you’ll take your top off for me.”

“Which one you want Archie?” Jughead asked, cracking his knuckles. Finally, he would be able to relieve the urge to hit something. “I already call the loud one.”

“The big one on the end.” He was surprised. Jughead half expected Archie to decline. “I can take him easily.”

“Perfect.” He started towards the group, hand twitching. Sweet Pea and Fangs went with them.

“Betty, quick question. If we start a gang, will you ride our dicks too?”

The kid didn’t even get a chance to laugh at his own insult. Just as his sentence came to an end, Jughead’s fist cracked into his jaw.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally love this chapter :) let me know your thoughts!

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Betty knew he didn’t care, but she said it anyway. She had to. Because on the northside of Riverdale, there were girls whispering that they _knew_ she wasn’t as perfect as she appeared. There were boys talking loudly about how it wasn’t fair a Serpent ruined her first and Jughead wouldn’t be able to make it stop by breaking the noses of everyone who said something. “It wasn’t worth it.”

There were bruises on his knuckles and stains of blood that didn’t belong to him on his hands and shirt. Jughead didn’t look at her. He moved around his bedroom, tossing dirty clothes in a hamper and cleaning up books he had left out. Betty sat, her legs crossed, on his bed and old pair of his sweats and t-shirt on in place of her uniform.

The fight, if it could even be considered that, was quick. Jughead, his friends, and Archie didn’t have any real competition with the drunken idiots who decided to insult her. Just as blood was beginning to spill, Kevin had managed to break it up and everyone went their separate ways. Betty’s was on the back on Jughead’s bike, hoping for a night of peace.

“Jug,” she started again. He ripped his beanie off his head, tossing to the ground as he faced her. “I know you’re pissed because you wanted us to be a secret and now _everyone_ knows. I’m so-.”

Betty’s apology was cut off by Jughead stalking across the room, grasping her face between his hands and kissing her fiercely. Her gasp was lost in his mouth. Betty kissed him back, letting her frustrations and hurt built up from the day crumble, as her legs uncrossed and allowed Jughead to step closer to her. It ended as quickly as it started. He pulled back, his breaths loud and heavy, as he looked at her with dark eyes.

“You _do not_ apologize for what happened,” he growled. “None of this was your fault.”

She nodded, moving her hands to cover his that were on her cheeks. “We aren’t going to find out who did it, are we?”

A line appeared between his brows. “Why do you say that?”

“We suck at being detectives, Jug,” she snorted humorlessly. “We can’t figure out what happened to Jason, we lost Polly, someone stole my case notes…our plate keeps piling up with mysteries we can’t solve. This will just be another one.”

His eyes harden and the thumbs on her face brush over her skin. “I’ll find out who did it, Betty. They won’t hurt you again.”

She responded by kissing him, because she didn’t know if there was any truth to his statement. She knew he’d try, but so far nothing had worked out for them. There was no reason to believe things would be different that time. Betty slowly moved her mouth with his, enjoying the faint taste of smoke. Her hands move to his shoulders, pushing the leather off his shoulders. It fell to the floor with a soft _thud._

“Juggie,” she whispered. “Can we go to bed?”

He nodded, the lines in his face already beginning to grow softer. “Tired?”

“No,” Betty admitted. She could feel the flush in her cheeks and she trapped her bottom lip in her teeth. “I just thought since we’re alone-.”

She was cut off with a squeal. Jughead shoved his hands under her thighs, tossing her back to the bed. Betty laughed as he crawled over her, his mouth attacking her cheeks, nose, neck; anywhere they could reach. As she wrapped her arms around the warmth of his back, he retracted a bit, giving her a sideways grin.

“Your mom isn’t going to chase me out of town for having you here, is she?”

“No.” Betty pulled him back down her, her own mouth placing light kisses to his jaw. Jughead let out an audible sigh. “She still thinks I’m spending the weekend with my friends.”

“Good.” He disappeared into the crook of her neck and Betty couldn’t bite back the small moan as he kissed and nibbled below her ear. Her hands tugged on collar of his shirt and Jughead quickly understood, leaving her skin just long enough to pull the garment over his head and toss it aside. The heat from his chest seared through her own thin top and she craved to feel his skin flushed against hers. Jughead evidently had the same idea. His hands rose the fabric just high enough to expose the skin of her stomach, fingers teasing the underside of her breasts.

The memory hit her hard; gasping on his lap in the dark of her living room. As his jean covered hips ground into hers, Betty found herself only thinking of the pictures and suddenly, unfamiliar panic gripped her chest. “ _Jug_. Wait.”

Her voice was breathless, but he froze against her nonetheless, immediately pulling back from scattering bruises across her neck. His mouth had gone slack, eyes wide. She could still the darkness flashing in them. “What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

“No, no,” she answered quickly, hands moving to his biceps. She felt stupid; _incredibly_ stupid. No one could spy on them from their spot on the second story, but she still couldn’t shake the image of her locker. “Just-I know it’s dumb and I’m so sorry-but, could you please just go look? Make sure no one is here.”

His features softened at once, a hand moved to cup her cheek just before he moved off her. “Yeah. Of course, Betts.”

When he turned to leave the room, Betty forgot momentarily about the photos. She’d never seen Jughead’s bare back before; not since they were little kids and swimming at the public pool on muggy, summer afternoons. In solid black, dominating the expanse of the skin, was a serpent bent into an ‘S.’ She gawked at it for a moment, but then it disappeared as he did down the hall.

When he came back, stating the apartment was empty and the front door locked, Betty decided to bring it up another time. When he climbed back in bed beside her, hands disappearing under her shirt and mouth descending into her neck, Betty forgot about it entirely.

***

Veronica weaved in and out of the drunk, mindless bodies of her peers. The drink in her hand was mostly gone and she had no desire to go find a refill. The music was dull, the beer cheap, and the company around her was not up to her usual standards. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to go home. She really wanted to be with Betty. She should have been with Betty. Best friends stuck together when one was called a slut in front of her student body.

 But Betty, as always, was stubborn and Archie annoyingly adamant that they still go to the party. Now, after a solid thirty minutes of repeatedly losing Kevin and Archie in the crowd, Veronica was over it. She was currently looking for said redhead, wanting to tell him she’d be catching a cab home, so he wouldn’t worry. Peaking into bedrooms and around corners, Veronica decided he must have locked himself in a closet with some drunk bimbo. Typical Archie.

Deciding to leave through the slightly-less crowded back yard, Veronica squeezed by a view dancing bodies before running into a solid body.

“Watch where you’re going,” she snapped to Reggie, who blocked her way down the stairs, smiling widely. Veronica rolled her eyes. “Seriously meat head. Out of my way.”

He smelled too much like beer and she wasn’t in the mood to smack greedy hands off her thighs and hips that night. “Lodge to good for this house party?”

“Obviously,” she retorted. “I’d rather pour acid into my eyes than stay here any longer with you losers. Now, move.”

“Hey, c’mon. Don’t go.” He moved again as she tried to step down. She was beginning to get seriously annoyed. “Look, you’re bored. I get it. It is kind of lame, but I’ve got something that can make it a bit more exciting.”

“Please, Reginald.” Her eyes couldn’t go back further in her head. “Your average sized appendage between your legs is not the solution to my drab evening.”

“Not what I meant.” He outstretched his hand, moving closer so that whatever he was holding couldn’t be seen by onlookers. Despite her better judgement, Veronica looked to see what he was offering. It was small bottle of several light-colored pills. “I’ll share if you want.”

“Seriously? Drugs? Where did you even get those?” As far as Veronica knew, no one dealt drugs on the northside of town. People looking for a high usually had to travel to get the good stuff. “The serpents?”

“No.” It was Reggie’s turn to scoff. Veronica was glad. She couldn’t picture Jughead letting his men deal hard drugs to minors, or anyone for that matter, but she didn’t know him that well either. “The other ones.”

The Ghoulies. Again, Veronica didn’t know much about them either, except for Jughead’s gang was supposed to be the better of the two. She believed it. Betty wouldn’t have put her trust into someone who didn’t earn it. She wondered if Jughead knew his opposing gang was dealing hard drugs on the northside of Riverdale. “Did you get that here? Like are they at the party?”

“Yeah, why? You wanna buy some?”

Veronica shoved past him, tossing her red cup into the grass as she pulled out her phone to call Betty and her snake.

***

From the nightstand, Betty’s phone buzzed loudly. The air in the room was thick, dimly lit by the small lamp overshadowing her phone.

“Juggie. My phone.” Betty was ignored, another embarrassingly loud moan breaking through her throat as Jughead pushed her further down into the mattress, hitching her leg onto his waist. There was another buzz. “Jug. It-it might be Veronica.” Her nails clawed into his shoulders while his mouth moved on her collarbone, biting as he went. She gave a breathy laugh as she shoved against him, earning a low groan of disappointment. “I told her to call if she needed a ride.”

He gave her look, but a smirk edged onto his mouth. His hair was swept in every direction, chest rising and falling as rapidly as her own felt. Betty gave him a swift peck to his jaw, still grinning as she reached over to grab her phone before the buzzing stopped.

“Hey, V. Done with the party already?”

“You’re one hell of a cock block, Lodge!” Jughead half-shouted, as he slid off her.

Betty gave him a swift punch to shoulder. “Shush, Jug. Sorry V, what’s up?”

“Perfect. You’re already with him. That’ll make this a lot easier.” She paused at the voice on the other end. It was deep and male; definitely not Veronica. Betty sat up a bit higher, catching Jughead’s eye as he shrugged on his discarded shirt.

“I’m sorry, who is this? Where’s Veronica?”

Jughead looked at her questioningly, coming to stand in front of her. Betty quickly hit the speaker button, watching his face.

“Listen, Betty. I’m going to make this quick, but only because I’d much rather speak to you both in person. I need you to tell your boyfriend I’m not happy with him. We have some disagreements we need to talk through.”

“Why do you want to talk to Jughead?” Betty wasn’t sure what was making her speak. She didn’t even realize the words were coming from her own mouth. Her gaze was fixed on Jughead, whose eyes had gone so terrifyingly dark that she knew something horrible was about to happen. “ _Where’s_ Veronica.”

There was deep laugh and her blood ran cold. “The Lodge girl is safe. For now. We needed to get your attention. Now, do you think you can do what I tell you.”

She nodded, before realizing he couldn’t see her. “Yes.”

“Good girl. Get your snake to meet us at the border. Fifteen minutes. Same meeting place as always. You two come, have a chat with me, and I’ll let you leave with the girl.”

The call ended. For one, achingly slow second Betty’s eyes shifted from the stiff lines of Jughead’s face to the phone limply held in her hand. A part of her was waiting for the text, apologizing for such a mean prank; the other part knew it was reality.

Jughead moved, simultaneously tossing Betty her white sneakers and ripping his serpent jacket and beanie from the floor. “Get those on. _Fast_.”

“Who was that?” she demanded but obeying him nonetheless. “Jug, why do they have Veronica- _oh my God_ , why do you have a gun?”

He ignored her, taking a black handgun from his bedside table and sticking it in the back of his jeans. Betty could only gape as he took her hand in steel grip and dragged her out of the apartment. The bar was full and loud, what one would expect on a Friday night. Betty kept close to his back, mind still having trouble comprehending what was happening. The idea that someone _took_ Veronica was sickening, twisting her gut in terror.

“You two. Come with me.”

Betty peaked at who he growled to, recognizing both boys from school. They had been leaning against the bar, talking to Toni. Both had dark hair, while one was shorter and other taller. The tall one had a tattoo of a snake etched onto his neck. They didn’t need to be told twice, only giving her half a glance as they straightened up and followed them both out the doors. Jughead went to the line of bikes, taking the helmet off one and tossing it to her. There was a white crown crudely drawn on the side. Betty snapped it into place, barely having time to straddle his back, before the bike roared beneath them and they were off.

She didn’t know long it took them. It could have minutes or hours. Her mind swarmed, nothing coherent passing through. Everything from earlier seemed so miniscule; the slut shaming and crude pictures. Why anyone would want Veronica was baffling and thoughts of what they would do to her overtook everything. Betty hugged Jughead’s middle tighter, praying he would go faster.

When Jughead’s bike slowed and she detangled herself from his back, Betty didn’t recognize her surroundings. They were far from the border of the north and southside, on a side of town she’d never been to. The bikes stopped by a set of train tracks; old and rusted Betty didn’t think they were in use anymore. A few abandoned buildings were scattered around them, lowly lit by the flickering street lights. From what she could tell, they were alone.

“Jug,” she whispered, yanking the helmet off herself. “What do we do?”

His friends parked their bikes and came to stand by her as well. Jughead looked as though he was about to answer and then the low roar of a car reached them. He turned, watching as three cars emerged on the other side of the tracks. Betty didn’t realize she was holding her breath.

“You two stay back here with her,” he ordered, looking at the two boys on either side of her.

Betty began to walk forward. “But Veronica-.”

“I’ll get her back,” he interrupted sharply. “You stay back here.”

She watched, feeling completely helpless as he walked forward alone. Tightening the oversized sweatshirt around herself, Betty took in a shaky breath, glancing at her companions. “Who are these people?”

“Ghoulies,” the tall one answered. His voice wasn’t as harsh as she had expected. Betty nodded. She figured as much. “Malachi is the one in the front car. He’s the leader.”

“I think he called me,” she admitted. Jughead had stopped right before the metal rails, shoulders tight and posture stiff. Betty swallowed thickly. “They have my friend.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. They do shit like this to get Jughead to talk to them. If they didn’t, he’d have no reason to give them the time of day.”

It made sense, but Betty didn’t like the idea of Veronica being used as a spawn in this whole mess. “You aren’t going up there with him?”

“Jones can handle himself,” the smaller one smirked. “We’re just here to make sure Malachi doesn’t try to get away with anything.”

Betty didn’t answer. The first car opened, and a lone figure emerged. He was tall and lean; messy facial hair covered half his face and a ratty jean jacket hung from his shoulders; it wasn’t near as impressive looking as the black leather and emerald serpent. Betty waited for a sign of Veronica, but none came.

“Jones! Glad I could finally get a hold of you. You’re hard man to schedule a meeting with.” It was the same voice from the phone. Malachi stopped on the other side of tracks, leaving a solid few feet in between the two gang leaders.

“I’m here Malachi. Where’s my friend?”

“You’re friend?” There was a soft chuckle and Betty swallowed thickly. “I was under the impression she was close to your girlfriend. Lucky for you. Once we found out who the newest serpent toy was, we _were_ going to grab her at that party. Thought that would make you take us a bit more seriously. Her friend apparently got the job done though.”

“What do you want?”

“Just a talk. I promise.” There was wide smile and he lifted his hands in mock surrender. Betty thought of the gun tucked in Jughead’s jeans. “Give me a few minutes of your time and you can have your northside beauty back.”

“Let me see her.”

Betty thought the Ghoulies might refuse, but then let out a relieved sigh when Malachi nodded. The back door of the second car opened and Veronica emerged. Nothing seemed misplaced; even her hair appeared to still be lying perfectly. Betty bit back a smug smile when she noticed the man opening her door had a bloody nose.

“V-!” A heavy arm caught around her middle as she made to go the tracks. The taller one had grabbed her, holding her place despite her struggle. Both Jughead and Malachi looked to her; she saw Jughead’s eyes widen.

“Is this the new girl?” It was almost a sneer. The arm around her was still tight. “Come on up here, sweetheart. Let me get a good look at you!”

“Betty, you stay back there,” Jughead hollered, pointing a finger her direction. He turned back to the Ghoulies. “This isn’t a fucking meet and greet. Tell me what you want before we take Veronica and leave.”

“You’re a little outnumbered for that, aren’t you Jones?”

“You and I both know that isn’t a problem. Talk. Now.”

If she hadn’t been so terrified for her friend on the other side of the tracks, Betty would have felt a strong sense for pride watching his conversation with the Ghoulie leader. Malachi’s smile fell slightly, the taunting in his features gone.

“I want to know why one of my men came home the other night with your mark carved into his back.”

“You know exactly why. I told you to keep your shit on your part of the southside. That kid is lucky we only marked him.”

“We keep it off your half of the southside,” Malachi argued, stepping closer to the tracks. Jughead did the same. Betty locked eyes with Veronica, who was watching the exchange with a gaping mouth just as she was. “That was the deal. Our kids are on the northside now too. We have just as much right to be there as you.”

“No. Northside is ours. Keep your drugs out or else your dealers are going to start going missing.”

“Is that a threat, Jones?”

“You’re damn fucking right it’s a threat. Stay off the northside. Is that going to be a problem?”

The air was stuck in Betty’s throat. She wanted to run to Jughead, shield him from whatever was coming. To her surprise, Malachi’s small smile returned. “It’s not worth dying over. I need a few days to get everything we have back over here.”

“You have tonight. I catch anyone after that then-.”

“I know, I know,” he chuckled, backing up a few paces and waving behind him. The man who open the car for Veronica gave her shove forward. She complied, walking slowly in the direction of Jughead. “The big, bad serpents are going to strike. Go on then, girl. Back to your friends.”

Betty took advantage of the fact the arm had fallen off her when the tension got high. Ignoring the hand that reached for her, she printed to Jughead, reaching him just as Veronica crossed the tracks. The girls collided, a mass of constricting arms. Jughead grabbed Betty’s back, ripping both girls behind him.

“Betty Cooper. So nice to meet you in person.” Betty pulled back from Veronica’s shoulder as Malachi addressed her. Jughead still stood in between her and the Ghoulie, but her mouth suddenly felt numb as she met his cold eyes. “Sorry we had to borrow your friend here. I always have the hardest time getting Jones’ attention. You understand.” She didn’t know what to do except nod. “She’s cute. Not quite up to the image of her sister, but those pictures were pretty good.”

Betty grabbed Jughead’s arm before he could move forward, her own fear momentarily forgotten. “You know, Polly?”

Malachi gave a small wave on his forehead. “A pleasure Ms. Lodge. You too, Betty.”

Jughead turned, pushing her and Veronica back in the direction of the bikes. Neither had spoken, but their arms were still tight around each other’s middle.  Betty looked back over her shoulder, Polly’s screaming face and pregnant belly flashing across her mind, but Malachi never looked back at her.

“Veronica, are you okay?” Jughead grabbed them both, making stop when they reached the bikes. She nodded furiously. “I’m serious, did they do anything? You tell me if they did.”

“No, I swear,” she answered. “I was going to call you-at the party-but they grabbed me when I was leaving. I think I broke one of their noses.”

“Atta girl.” Jughead’s eyes didn’t meet his chuckle. “Your mom expecting you home tonight?”

“No. I’m supposed to be at Kevin’s with Betty.”

“Okay. You’re both staying at my place tonight. Sweet Pea, give Veronica a ride back to the bar.”

On the ride back, Betty clutched tightly onto Jughead. Instead of her mind being flooded with fears about Veronica, this time it was Polly. She knew Jason had gotten in trouble with the drugs, but they hadn’t been from the Ghoulies. Or, at least, Betty figured that was such. It wouldn’t be until the following night that she would be allowed to learn the secrets of Jughead’s gang.

She would have to wait until then to figure out how the enemies of the Southside Serpents knew her sister.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter :)  
> Also, everyone should check out the amazing mood board for this story made by jandjsalmon on tumblr! It is no joke fantastic and you should all go tell her what a great job she did.  
> https://auddy-95.tumblr.com/post/171528320639/jandjsalmon-serpents-and-ponytails-by-auddy-95

Betty took a small sip from her ruby colored drink. It was still mostly full, while Veronica was nearing the bottom of her third. She wasn’t quite sure if alcohol was the correct remedy for the nerves both of them were feeling, but then again, she had decided to mostly ignore ‘ _slut_ ’ written across her locker earlier. What did she know about managing pain?

The bar had emptied for the night. The two boys that had gone with them, Sweet Pea and Fangs, sat on either side of them while Toni was on the other side of the bar. Jughead had taken the remaining Serpents to a back room Betty wasn’t allowed into and had yet to come out.

Veronica, surprisingly, seem fairly held together considering everything. She had changed from her skintight party clothes, matching Betty by wearing loans from Jughead that hung off her awkwardly. There had been no sobbing or shaking shoulders, as Betty imagined would have been the case if _she’d_ been the one thrown in the back of the car.

If anything, Veronica seemed furious.

“Low-life, pieces of shit,” she muttered mainly to herself, chugging the last of her drink. Betty rubbed her arm in what she hoped what is in a comforting way. Toni quickly had another vodka and cranberry juice in front of her. “Karma is a real bitch and those Ghoulies are going to find that out soon.”

“V,” Betty sighed. Veronica didn’t even look at her. “We can still call the police if you want. Jug won’t be mad.”

“No.” It had been agreed no calls to police should be made. Before, Betty hadn’t wanted to involve them mainly to keep her parents out of her business and to make sure Jughead didn’t get in trouble for any gang-related activities. Her opinion had changed that night and she had been set on telling the sheriff the Ghoulies had decided to borrow her best friend against her will. It was Veronica, however, who put her foot down, stating involving the law would only complicate things. Jughead had sided with her. “We call the police, then both our parents find out and we’re grounded until the day we ship off to college. Besides, your boy toy leads a gang. The police aren’t going to be his friend.”

Betty nodded, going back to take another small sip. The slight burn on her throat felt good. “I still can’t believe they took you. I’m-.”

“If you apologize anymore for what those scumbags did, I am going to strangle you Betty Cooper,” Veronica drawled, lips against her glass. Betty huffed. Hardly anyone was letting her get an apology out. “Toni, be a dear and pour another shot into Betty’s glass. She needs to relax.” Toni eyed Betty, who discreetly shook her head. “I’m just ready for you to do that dance tomorrow so we can finally be in the know. I want to help take them down.”

“What dance?” The question came from Sweet Pea. Betty froze. He looked between the two girls, brows coming together. Betty was sure her expression matched Veronica’s; guilty. When he glanced to Toni, there was a loud sigh before he ran a hand over his face. “Ah fuck, Toni. Seriously? You fucking told her?”

“What?” she demanded, her pink hair swinging. Fangs groaned from beside Betty. “She has every right to know what’s going on. Jones shouldn’t have any say if she wants to do the dance.”

“He’s going to kill you.”

“No, he’s not,” Betty quickly interjected. “When it happens, he’ll be upset at me. Please, _please_ don’t tell him Sweet Pea. He’ll stop it if you do and I can’t stand the secrets anymore.”

The muscle tightened on his neck, causing the inked snake to twitch. “Fine. But when shit hits the fan I’m making sure he knows I had nothing to do with it.”

The door on the far end of the bar opened and several Serpents, including Jughead, filed out. Betty turned on her stool, watching him make his way across the room to them. He looked so _tired._ There was a dullness to his eyes that made her chest tighten. She could almost physically see the secret burdens he was carrying on his shoulders. He caught Betty’s eyes, motioning to the stairs and, after Veronica drained her drink, they both followed him up.

“You girls can have the bed,” he told them as he unlocked the apartment and nodded for them to go in. “I’ve got to be up early anyways. And I want you both to hang around here tomorrow. Don’t go wandering off for too long. Not until we get a handle on what’s going on.”

“Thank you, Jughead,” Veronica answered. Betty bit back a smile at how slurred her words were. Her raven haired friend stood on her toes, pressing a light kiss on Jughead’s cheek. “But this Lodge does not take the bed of her hero. Go get some sleep. I’m fine with the couch.”

After a quick goodnight hug with her best friend, Betty found herself sitting cross legged on the edge of Jughead’s bed. He hadn’t said anything directly to her since they returned. As she watched him discard the Serpent jacket and kick off his boots, she continued to wait patiently. There was nothing.

“Is there a reason you aren’t talking to me,” she breathed. He opened the nightstand drawer, putting his gun back in, before slamming it shut. The lamp shook. “Jug-.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Betts.” He still didn’t look at her. “I _told_ you shit like this would happen.”

She stilled. Her fingers began to curl into her palms. Heat rose in her chest. “Are you blaming me for all this?”

He turned, beanie askew on his head and arms crossed tightly. She did not falter under his heated stare but returned it. “I told you things would get bad if people knew we were together. For Christ’s sake my rival gang was going to _kidnap_ you tonight, Betty! Just to have a conversation with me! They threw your best friend into the back of a car because you weren’t available!” Jughead’s voice was rising as the built-up words spilled. He came closer to the bed, practically towering over her. “They’ve known about us for twelve fucking hours and this is what happened. Imagine what they’ll do if something actually goes wrong between the gangs.”

“I don’t care about-.”

“I do!” He turned on the spot, running a hand underneath his beanie and causing it to fall to the floor. There was a familiar stinging in her palms, but Betty didn’t move from her spot on the bed. “Betty, I’ve been back in your life for eleven days. _Eleven days!_ And you’ve already had your house broken into, slut shamed, threatened-.”

“Those things weren’t your fault though!” she retaliated, moving to sit on her knees on the bed. She reached for the side of his face, but he jerked his chin away. That stung. “You can’t back out on us because things are getting rough.”

“Rough? What if they had something more to Veronica tonight? Or to you? That would be on me.”

“They didn’t though. From now on, we’ll just be more careful.”

“Betty.” It came out almost strained, as though he was controlling himself from shouting anymore at her. “You aren’t a serpent. They have no reason to protect you and I can’t be by your side all the time. You and I-listen, this could have worked if we kept it under wraps, but-.”

“I didn’t ask for half-naked pictures of me to posted on the walls school,” she spat. “I didn’t ask for someone to be spying on us and watching while I-.” She choked on the word, unable to even say what they had witnessed her doing. It was still too fresh. “But thank you, for putting that on me.”

“I didn’t mean-.”

“You made your point clear, Jughead.” Betty moved away from him, to the other side of the bed. Her palms were sore and burning, but she ignored it. “I’m going to get some sleep. You probably should too.”

He didn’t say anything as she wrapped her self in the covers, facing the wall. After a few minutes, he switched off the lamp and the bed dipped under his weight. She waited for something, anything; a comforting arm around her torso, a whispered apology.

As she drifted off to sleep, nothing came from Jughead.

***

Betty knew it was a dream the second it began. That was what made it worse. She kept trying to convince herself to simply wake up, but it was no use. She was forced to watch everything play out in front of her.

Everything was an odd hue of green; the lockers, the tiled floor of her school hallway; even the sunlight coming in through the dusty windows. Everything except for the dripping _Serpent Slut_ in front of her. The pictures were there too, even though she knew Toni had taken them down. They were back; enlarged and much more focused than before. People were laughing behind her; laughing because her chest was on display for the entire student body, laughing because the knew ‘perfect’ Betty Cooper wasn’t all she seemed to be, laughing because the serpents had hardly been in their school for two weeks and she was already in the lap of the leader.

Laughing because she was a slut.

“Betty!”

The voice seemed far off. Hazy amongst the laughter and insults coming from behind her. Her chest was rising too quickly; panicked breaths coming out faster than they should have. Betty clutched her hands, the dull sting of her palms becoming sharper-

“Fuck, Betty. Wake up!”

The room wasn’t green. There were no lockers or insults written in blood. In the quiet of Jughead’s bedroom room, she was free from the taunting and smug look of her peers. Focusing, and catching her breath, Betty realized it was Jughead who had woken her. He was hovering over her, the sheet drawn around them both. The sun had barely risen, casting gray light into the room and allowing her to make out his petrified expression.

“Hey, it was just a dream.” His voice was different from when they had gone to bed. Heavy with sleep, it was comforting. Soothing. “Come here.”

“No,” she shook her head. She remembered his final words to her, her anger coming back. “No, no. I’m fine.”

“You are not.” He reached over, moving to turn on the light. When he did, they both froze. The sheets around Betty’s hands were spotted with blood, some areas still damp. Her fingers looked as though she was wearing crimson gloves, covered in a solid coating of what was continuing to drip down her fingertips. She hadn’t realized her hands were clenched. Slowly moving them open, she couldn’t suppress her small wince of pain as the deep gouges she made open fully. “Jesus Christ, Betty.”

Her fingers curled back into fists, trying to hide what she knew he already saw. His brows snapped together above her, a mixture of fear and confusion written clearly in his features. She made to move out from under him, but Jughead was quicker. He sat back, snatching both her wrists in a tight grasp that she couldn’t wrench herself out of.

“Jughead, _stop_.”

“Did you do this to yourself?” She twisted, but he only held onto her tighter. “Betty!”

“Yes!” she growled. When she ripped at her hands another time, he let her go. She couldn’t read his expression. “Yes, I cut open my hands. Is that what you want to hear?”

Pushing away from him, she stalked into the small bathroom, immediately thrusting her hands under the faucet. The water burned, but not more than the heat coursing through her. The nightmare was still fresh, shaking her hands and as she waited for the dried blood to ease off her skin. She wondered what Jughead was thinking; if he was horrified or disgusted. He wanted her gone, that much was clear. Evidently, having her back in his life had made things too difficult. Her wounds were just icing on the cake.

Before she had finished, warmth appeared behind her. She stiffened as Jughead’s chest came in contact with her back, his arms moving around her to gently caress her hands, helping wash off the red stains.

“How often do you do this?” It was low, spoken just above her ear. She shivered.

“I don’t know,” she answered sharply. It was the truth. Betty couldn’t keep track of how many times in her life her nails had cut into the skin. “It just…happens. I can’t control it.”

The blood was gone. One of his hands reached to the mirror, yanking it open and pulling out gauze and some cream. The other held onto her hip, gently turning her until the small of her back was against the counter and she was forced to face him. His hair was unkempt; sticking up at odd angles. Had the situation been any different, Betty would have thought it was cute.

He dabbed the cream onto her palms, holding them softly in his own that were callused.

“Did it happen this time because of me?”

She didn’t respond, only watched as he gently wrapped them in the white gauze before holding them closely to his chest. Betty finally allowed herself to look at his face. She tried to look upset, hoping she was succeeding, because the look Jughead was giving her made her want to cry. She had never seen him look so dejected. His thumb moved slowly over her knuckles, while he continued to stare at her wrapped palms.

“I shouldn’t have let you go to bed so upset.” It was almost a whisper. “I was angry. Thinking about if it had been you in that car-I know, that’s no excuse. I don’t blame you for any of this, Betts. I don’t want this-whatever it is-to end either.” She sighed softly as he lifted her cupped hands to kiss them. “You just scare me.”

“I scare you?” she snorted. He gave her half a smile. “I find that hard to believe.”

“Believe it, Cooper. Having you by my side _terrifies_ me.” Jughead swallowed thickly. “But I don’t want you to leave it.”

***

Betty bit on the end of her pencil, twirling on the bar stool as she concentrated on the notebook in front of her. Veronica had her hands splayed on the wood, a bottle of pink nail polish, courtesy of Toni, being put to use. The Whyte Wyrm was quiet that afternoon. After a night of kidnapping and heated fights, both she and Veronica had slept in far too late and Jughead had left with a few others to take care of something, leaving the girls to entertain themselves. Their fight from the night was over, both them going back to bed with Jughead whispering apologies until she drifted back to sleep. 

“B, I can practically hear you thinking,” Veronica sigh, looking at her sideways. “What do you have so far?”

Betty was making a list. That night, she would finally be able to become a serpent, well half a serpent, and be allowed to know everything. To prepare, she was trying to keep tract of everything that happened involving Jason and Polly.

“Well, Jason is dead, obviously, and Polly is pregnant with his baby, but only we know that. He tried to sell drugs for the Serpents, but disappeared before making the run. The Ghoulies didn’t take the drugs, because they were all still in the car, the same car someone torched. Also, I’m assuming the same person most likely stole my case notes leaving me to retrace all my steps on a crappy piece of notebook paper. Oh, and the Ghoulies know Polly. Somehow.”

“Don’t forget the pictures.”

“Right.” How could she forget the horribly invasive photos of herself? “That might not have anything to do with Jason and Polly though.”

“Please. That’s too big of coincidence.”

They were getting a few odd looks from the older patrons. Sweet Pea and Fangs were playing pool nearby and hardly seemed to even notice they were there and Toni had passed through a few times but smiled at them kindly. Betty knew it was the fact they were northsiders, camped out at the Serpent’s bar, had them uncomfortable. She suspected Jughead had already made it clear they were to be left alone.

“You think Kevin and Archie will be able to handle themselves at the dance tonight?” Betty had decided instead of dressing up for evening with her student body, that were now calling her a slut, she would rather just stay at the bar. Besides, she had a dance there to be ready for. After hearing so, Veronica declared she didn’t want to go to the school dance either, preferring to stay with her friend.

“Archie will be fine,” Veronica glowered. “Trust me, he’s very capable of finding temporary distractions.”

Betty grinned. "And we aren’t telling him about this weekend, agreed?”

“Agreed. I wasn’t kidnapped, and you aren’t stripping in front of gang members. If he finds out, he’ll start acting like he cares and want to fight someone.”

Mindful of the wet polish, Betty reached and clutched Veronica’s hand. The scowl disappeared, and she was rewarded with a small smile. “I’m really happy you’re here with me, V.”

“Anytime, B.” She clutched her hand back. “What friend would I be if I didn’t cheer on your stripping career debut?”

***

Veronica took a long sip from her drink. It was the perfect mixture of sugary juice and alcohol, putting herself in a rather cheerful mood. Around her, the bar was packed. Evening had settled over the southside hours ago, drawing in the regular weekend bar goers. Most of them donned black leather, while the occasional girl was dressed in something skimpy and tight. She had a claimed a bar stool in the back, away from prying eyes and judgmental stares.

Betty was gone; disappeared in the crowd wearing a short skirt and frilly top that she tied around her stomach. Just an hour before, the pair had pouted to Fangs and Sweet Pea, stating they had no fresh clothes to get through the evening the refused to walk around wearing Jughead sweatpants anymore. Their new friends had given them a ride to Veronica’s, allowing them to pack the lingerie and tight clothes Betty would need for her dance.

Veronica watched the men around her, wondering what would happen when Betty’s clothes would start to unravel in front of them. Obviously, the dance had been done before. Would there be cheering and whistles, male-typical comments flying through the air, or would they all be too terrified of their young leader to utter a word?

“Don’t look so nervous.” Toni almost shouted the comment over the noise from the crowd. She appeared on the other side of the bar, wiping down a glass. “Your girl will do fine.”

“I know she will.” Veronica moved her fingers long the edge of her glass. “I just don’t want Jughead to be too mad.”

“Speak of the devil.”

Veronica turned to watch the leader of the serpents cut through the crowd. Watching him scan over the head, brows furrowed and obviously looking for Betty, she could see why her friend was so attracted to him. There was a confident stance to his shoulders; maybe it was from the leather that hung there or he had it all on his own. She didn’t know. Whatever it was, combined with dark hair and bright blue eyes, Veronica gave props to Betty for snagging someone like him.

Jughead must have seen Veronica, because no sooner had she been watching him, he came to take the stool next to her. Sweet Pea was there quickly as well.

“Hello Serpent King,” she mocked, playfully. “Have a good day committing crimes?”

“The best,” he answered dryly, but still smirking. Toni set a beer in front of him. “Where’s Betts?”

“Restroom.” Sweet Pea shot Veronica a look that she ignored. “She should be back in a minute.”

“You two have an alright day?”

She nodded. “As a good of a day as someone can have after being kidnapped.”

Whatever he was going to say, was soon forgotten. On the other side of the bar, on the small stage that held a single strip pole Veronica was sure was far from sanitary, Fangs was giving Betty hand to climb up. Veronica paused, her gaze shifting from her best friend, that was now standing in front of a room full of grown men, and Jughead, who was now openly gaping.

It was when the music started and Betty’s hand moved to untie her shirt, that Jughead’s fist slammed down on the wooden surface bar and Veronica thought maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea after all.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even have a real reason on why this took so long to get out. Sorry everyone! I had to re-write it several times so it is probably completely filled with errors. My apologies. I just wanted to get this out as soon as possible to you all!

Veronica had never been more conflicted in her life.

Sitting in the back of the dingy bar, surrounded by gang members, smoke, and alcohol, she wasn’t quite sure what she should have been feeling. A part of her was proud, because damn if her girl did not look _fabulous_ half-dressed on that stage. Her audience apparently thought so as well. Despite it being known she was a northsider, a northsider that belonged to Jughead Jones no less, the men watching her were responding well to the under-age strip dance. The other part of her, the more rational, practical Veronica that very rarely made an appearance, was very aware the leader of a gang was practically seething next to her and that she should have been at least somewhat guilty for playing a factor in it.

She half-expected Jughead to immediately jump up, put an end to his girlfriend, or whatever label they had given themselves, dancing in front of his gang and drag her away. Surprisingly, he remained seated at the bar, fist clenched on the wooden countertop. Whether it was because he didn’t want to embarrass Betty by jumping on that stage or because he was too in shock to really register what was happening, Veronica didn’t know.

It ended quicker than she expected it to. Before she was even halfway through her next drink, her best friend slowed her sensual movements, the crowd erupting in a loud applause. She didn’t miss the smug smile hinting on Betty’s features. Veronica raised her manicured hands, politely clapping while Toni and Sweet Pea hollered their appreciation as well. It was then that Jughead shoved away from seat, stalking into the crowd. The two serpents shot Veronica a look, before the three of them hurried after him.

***

Betty had no idea what she was doing.

Toni had told her to not make eye contact with any of the men. According to her, that would only make the whole thing worse. Sweet Pea advised her to not try too hard. When she gave him a confused look, because surely, she needed to _try_ and look sexy, he told her to do everything slowly. Otherwise, she might make a fool out of herself. Fangs was nicer. All he said to her was that he knew she’d do fine. When it came time to it, he even helped her onto the stage. Veronica had helped her the most. She helped her choose a lacy black set of lingerie that was somehow revealing, while managing to still most of her torso concealed. She was, after all, still underage and had no desire to give all the old men in the bar any ideas. Her best friend also gave her another piece of sound advice.

_Don’t look at Jughead, Betty. I mean it. You do and you’ll lose your nerve._

So, she hadn’t. Praying she didn’t look like a complete idiot, she did her best to move her hips and torso to the slow beat of the music, keeping her gaze on the wall behind all the invasive eyes, behind the gazes of the men old enough to be her father, and before she even process what she was getting herself into, it was over. Applause surrounded her and she couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit proud; even powerful. For a moment, the wonder if Jughead would like the outfit, if it was in the privacy of his bedroom, crossed her mind.

It disappeared when she saw him cutting through the crowd.

Her stomach dropped. Betty had seen angry before. He had yelled at people, including herself, and threatened rivals all in front of her in the past, but that was nothing compared to the _furious_ darkness in his gaze that was directed straight at her. The serpents parted the crowd for him easily, the applause slowly dying and the regular music and conversation growing louder. No one wanted to witness the fight they knew was going to happen. Betty also noticed Veronica, Sweet Pea, and Toni moving behind him. Even Fangs suddenly appeared by the stage, but they only had her attention for a moment. Jughead reached the bottom of the stage, his jaw noticeably clenched and beanie low on his forehead, and Betty swallowed thickly. He said nothing, simply reaching out a hand to help her down. She complied, moving to his side and suddenly embarrassed by her lack of clothing. His black jacket was on her shoulders. It scarcely brushed her bare thighs, but Betty hugged it tightly against herself.

“Jug,” she started. He wasn’t looking at her as he moved her through the crowd in the direction of his stairs. “Please don’t be-.”

“Not here,” he growled. Their path was suddenly blocked as their friends reached them. Veronica gave her a panicked look, but Jughead thrusted a finger in Toni’s direction. “You are in _so much_ fucking trouble, Topaz.”

“It’s not her fault.” Betty was ignored as he shoved them through. She tried to give Toni a sympathetic look, but they were lost in the throng of bodies. In less than a minute, Jughead was ushering her through the door of his apartment, slamming the wood behind them. Betty clutched the jacket tighter, before turning to face him. “Don’t be mad at them. This was all my idea.”

The beanie was thrown on the couch. “I’m not mad, Betty. I am _livid_. At you and them. I’m aware of how headstrong you can be, but I know who told you about that dance. I’m not an idiot. Toni knew exactly what would happen if you found out about it.”

“She was trying to help,” Betty explained. Jughead continued to stare heatedly. “You should have been the one to tell me there was a way for me to be apart of everything. You knew how much all of this bothered me and this whole time you knew there was a way, but you didn’t tell me! So, don’t put this on Toni. I’m glad she told me.”

“God, I knew it was weird that you forgave me so quick about the drugs,” he laughed, running a hand through his hair. The curls fell messily across his forehead. “That’s when she told you, isn’t it? You’ve been planning this for _days_ and never told me.”

“You would have stopped it.”

“You’re damn right I would have Betty!” He took a step towards her, but she didn’t move. She could feel the heat coming off him. “You just took your clothes off in front of my gang! Obviously, that’s not something I’m okay with.”

“Toni did it,” she argued. “I don’t see why I’m any different.”

“I don’t care who Toni strips in front of. You are a different story. Shit, Betts. I didn’t want you involved in any of this!”

She moved towards him. “But this makes everything so much easier, Jug. Do you think I wanted to let everyone see me like that?. You think I enjoyed letting fourty year old men gawk at me? This whole time everything has been so complicated because I wasn’t apart of your world. Now, I am.”

“Betty.” The words were said through gritted teeth. She paled. “I don’t want you apart of my world here. You don’t-I don’t want you here.”

“You don’t want me?” She said it so quietly, she wasn’t sure at first that he heard.

“No-yes, but-,” Jughead moved away from, turning on the spot and leaning heavily on the wall. “Listen, you just need to go home. You know I _want_ you Betty, but you should really get out of here. I want you to leave.”

It was Betty’s turn to be angry. The jacket fell from her shoulders, landing on the floor behind her. She stalked to Jughead. “Really? Go home? How many times are we going to have this argument Jug. I _want_ to be apart of everything here. I want to figure out what’s wrong with our town and why all these bad things are happening. I need your help with that. I need _you.”_

“Betty,” he repeated. It softer this time, but still just as forceful as he leaned into her face. “Go home.”

It hurt more than it should have. She wanted to yell, to dig her nails in her palms and shake with fury. She wanted to cry into a pillow and let out all her anger to Veronica. She wanted to run from his gaze and never see him again. Instead, Betty saw his eyes momentarily shift to her torso, taking in her half-dressed form and saw her opportunity.

Shoving Jughead against the wall, pressing herself into him, she caught his lips to her own. It was messy, more teeth than anything else. She wondered if he would push her away, but his hand moved to leave a moving a bruising grip on the back of her neck as he bit her lip and suddenly Betty was lost. The anger and frustrations flowing through them both fueled their actions more than anything else. She couldn’t keep track of what hands belonged to who and where mouths were kissing and biting. Suddenly, it was her back pressed firmly against the wall, her neck being attacked by Jughead’s painful pulling on her skin.

“You have to go home,” he breathed into her. A hand pulled on her blonde hair, allowing him better access. In between kisses, he continued. “Betty-Betts, go home.”

Her nails dug into him. Her bare leg hooked around his waist and she suppressed the breathy moan threatening to escape. “Do you like me in this?”

There would be bruises on her hips from his fingertips. Jughead paused his relentless attack on the smooth skin of her neck to press his forehead to hers. “No using your sexuality to make me less mad at you.” She leaned forward again, her motive to distract him with her mouth, but he leaned away. “Betty, I’m serious. Go home.” His hands fell from her hair and hip, falling by his side as he took several steps away from her. Betty watched his chest rise and fall, the heavy breaths coming from it were the only dounds in the room. It was suddenly too cold in the darkened apartment and she was painfully aware of her lack of clothing. “I can give you some clothes-.”

“Don’t bother.” She ripped his jacket from the floor, covering herself back up with it. “The entire bar already saw me like this. Seeing it again won’t kill anyone.” Betty waited a moment, seeing if he would say anything else. When there was only silence, she took a shaky before continuing. “You’re really going to push me away. After what I just did for us to be together in this?”

“I just need to think,” he admitted. His voice sounded just as wavered as her own. “And I can’t with you’re dressed like _that_. So, please just-.”

“Got it. Go home.” She paused, her hand on the cold metal of the doorknob. Betty didn’t even turn to face him all the way. Instead, she spat over her shoulder. “Just so you know, you’re being selfish. Whatever is happening, is more my problem than yours. My room was broken into and my entire high school is calling me a slut. My sister, who is still missing by the way, lost someone she loved and her kid will never know their dad. I don’t care what gang nonsense I have to fight through to figure all this crap out, but I have to. I _need_ to, Jughead. Come find me when you’re done thinking.”

She slammed the door behind her.

***

Betty didn’t go home as she was told. For the better part of hour, she remained down in the bar with her friends. Toni had been nice enough to retrieve her clothes for her, but she chose to remain in the lingerie and serpent jacket. She didn’t know why, especially since the majority of the Whyte Wyrm consisted of men twice her age, but it somehow made her feel powerful. Confident. Whenever Jughead came looking for her, Betty wanted to remind him what she was capable of.

“That was a job well done, Blondie.” Sweet Pea gave her a nod with his beer. “Sometimes girls get up there that have no business taking of their clothes.”

“Okay, rude,” Veronica shot to him, before spinning on her bar stool to face Betty. “But he speaks the truth. You were completely smoking, babe. You could make some serious cash if you wanted to pursue that professionally.”

“Thanks, I think.” Betty watched as Toni filled her glass, before continuing. “So, how does this work? I don’t have to get a tattoo, do I?”

“That’s for the real serpents. The only privileges you get is your man doesn’t have to keep secrets from you.”

“And speaking of your _man_ ,” Toni interrupted heatedly, slamming a bottle of vodka on the bar in front of her. “You need to have a talk with him before he kicks my ass for helping you.”

“It’ll be fine, Toni. I promise.”

It was only a few minutes later when a familiar heat appeared on her back and a rough hand caressed her shoulder. Suddenly, the others were very involved in their own, separate conversations.

“Is there a reason you’re in the bar with no clothes on?” Jughead whispered, close enough to her ear to make her shiver.

“Funny,” she replied shorty, taking a small sip of her drink. “That doesn’t sound like an apology.”

The hand on her shoulder grew tighter and she spun on the spot, forced to face the serpent she had left upstairs. Only, he wasn’t a serpent anymore. The Jughead looking at her was the old one, the one that would occasionally make an appearance when things were calm between them. The fact he wasn’t wearing jacket, given it was draped over her shoulders, only added to the image.

“Because I want it to be perfectly clear it is _you_ in this scenario that owes me the apology,” she said quietly, folding her arm across her chest. “I get that stripping isn’t really your cup of tea, but let me tell you Jughead Jones-.”

“Would you shut up for a second, so I can say I’m sorry.” He let out a short, breathy laugh that didn’t match the down cast in his eyes. “I’m starting to feel like a broken record. It seems like all I’m doing these days is apologizing to you, but I’m going to do it anyways. I’m sorry, Betty. I just hate the idea of you being involved-.”

“I already am involved. Just as much, if not more, than you are. This whole trying to protect me thing is really endearing, Jug but there’s got to be a line.”

“That’s fair,” he sighed, leaning forehead to hers. “But only if we also draw a line at you _not_ taking your clothes off in my bar. Ever.”

“Not even upstairs?”

“Cute, Cooper. Now c’mon. I owe you some answers.”

He motioned behind him to the stairs, but Veronica spun to face them. “Lovely. Your lover’s quarrel is over. Do we get to know the secrets now?”

“No,” Jughead answered bluntly, looking at her best friend with a small frown. “You don’t get to know shit, Veronica. You know the rules.”

Her face immediately fell. “But that’s not fair! Betty would just tell me anyways. Wouldn’t you rather I just hear it from you?”

“Betty isn’t going to say a word,” he replied heatedly, “because its against the rules. The only reason she can know is because an hour ago she was up there half-naked.”

“Well, fine. Give me like five minutes-.” Veronica hopped from her seat, immediately undoing the front buttons of her dress that cost more than Betty’s entire wardrobe. Sweet Pea’s mouth dropped and Toni bit back a laugh, while Jughead lunged forward and grabbed her wrists.

“Jesus Christ, _stop_. I need everyone to stop taking their clothes off here.” He looked around, making sure no one was paying too much attention. “Let me make this clear, you are only being told because I know you’d find out through Betty anyway and I don’t want you harassing her. Also, you say a word of this to _anyone_ -.”

“I know, I know.” She winked to Betty. “The serpents will strike.”

***

“I sold Jason Blossom the drugs.”

She already knew it, but somehow hearing it spoken in the dark of Jughead’s living room made it seem more real. Veronica was silent next to her on the couch, both of them again wearing borrowed sweatshirts and t-shirts that were too big for them. Jughead was leaning against the wall, a fist pressed to his forehead.

“He was just some scared northsider. Said he got his girl pregnant and they needed to make a run for it. I felt bad for him, so we made a deal. He would get a junky car and a good chunk of the cut if he made a run for us. Soon, we got word he never made the deal. Honestly, I thought he just chickened out and made a run for it, but then they found his body-.” Jughead swallowed thickly, raising his gaze to the girls. “Shits been getting bad with the Ghoulies for awhile now. They deal in some pretty hard stuff and keep trying to push their territory borders; its like they’re trying to prove something.”

“So, you thought the Ghoulies killed Jason,” Betty finished for him. It would make perfect sense. The underdog gang trying to ruin a drug deal for their rival. Taking out a northsider would just be an added bonus. “That’s why you cared so much about my murder board, but then we found the car.”

Jughead pointed his finger to her. “We found the car, still filled with drugs. If the Ghoulies killed the kid, it wasn’t to ruin our deal. Otherwise, they would have just taken the drugs.”

“But Betty’s stolen notes, the torched car-.”

“Someone doesn’t want her finding out the truth.” He pushed away from the wall, moving to sit on the coffee table in front of them. “My bet is still on Ghoulies, especially after Malachi’s snide comment about your sister Betts, but I don’t have a motive. Not even close.”

“Then we start digging,” Veronica replied. “We talk to Cheryl some more, for starters. Maybe there’s a little detail you didn’t pick up on before. Do the Ghoulies have a hang out, like the Serpents?”

“Yes, and that’s out of the question. You can’t go there. It’s out of our territory.

“I don’t think she’s planning on waltzing in their front door.” Betty refrained from rolling her eyes. “But do they have a spot _anywhere_ that we could look for something.”

“None that’s safe enough, but if I find something you two will be the first to know.”

Betty couldn’t describe the weight she felt being lifted from her chest. They weren’t close to the end of their mystery. Polly was still pregnant and tragically missing, her parents distant, and Archie oblivious, but it was such a relief to know she and Jughead were fighting on the same side. Oddly, even with the situation appearing more dangerous than she originally believed, she felt safer knowing she would have the two people she loved the most working with her.

Soon after Jughead’s confession, the three of them realized how late it had gotten. Veronica curled on the couch with a blanket while Betty took Jughead’s hand on their way to his bedroom. Her lingerie, deposited on the floor with his serpent jacket, reminded her of the heated kiss they shared before she stormed from the apartment. Had it really only been the night before she had been tangled in sheets before Veronica’s rescue interrupted them?

Jughead was evidently thinking the same thing. As soon as the door shut behind them, his arms constricted around her thighs, dumping her onto the bed. She let out a squeal, trying to suppress her laugh as the t-shirt disappeared from his torso before he climbed on top of her. The beanie was gone and Betty shamelessly ran her fingers through the untamed, black curls.

“Someone is eager.”

“ _Someone_ is realizing that they won’t get the honor of sleeping with you once the weekend is over,” he mumbled, pressing light kisses along her jawline. “I’m trying to make the most of it.”

“Don’t you feel better?” Betty asked, locking her arms around his shoulders. “Knowing we don’t have to keep secrets from each other?”

“I’d feel better if it hadn’t been earned by your little dance,” Jughead admitted into her neck. “But I’ll get over it.”

“I could help.” Betty tugged on his shoulders. He quickly got the idea, turning so that she was straddling his waist. For a moment, she felt a small sliver of self-consciousness, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the dark in his eyes grow. “I could…distract you.”

He didn’t get to ask how. In one swift movement, she removed the old t-shirt she was wearing. The hands holding her waist flexed and Jughead was instantly aware of his growing erection. Betty was too, because her mischievous smirk grew.

“Consider me distracted.”


End file.
